Aggressive Expansion
by nocoldwater
Summary: Sequel to There's Always A Catch. Mel has rejoined The Joker in their destruction of Gotham...can Batman bring this madness to an end? And what happens when a new villian enters the Gotham scene to compete with The Joker and Mel?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Batman nor any of the people, places, or things associated with his universe. The plot and original characters are mine though! **

**AN: So I got over my writer's block and have found some time to start on the sequel to There's Always a Catch. Here's the first chapter, hopefully you all will enjoy. And please let me know what you think by reviewing! I'll do my best to get another chapter up before the weekend is over...and now without further ado, the story begins....**

It has been exactly one month since I ran out on my dad to rejoin The Joker in his – our – scheme of mayhem on Gotham City. Dad tried to stop me from going, but he knew that there was no way he was going to keep The Joker from taking me. He watched me walk out of the house carrying my book bag with a long, wary and hurt look upon his face. He knew The Joker had bested him in their silent, mental battle for my soul.

And now, I was doing everything and more to help The Joker win the physical battle with Batman for Gotham's soul. I realized what I was. It was clearly my destiny calling me to be a criminal and I chose to accept it graciously. I no longer fought to remain sane or deny feelings for The Joker. I rarely even thought of my father anymore or my past life. All I lived for was chaos. All I sought was madness. All I planned was destruction.

The Joker had been right. Madness really was like gravity…all it needed was a little push. I was proof of that and knew it. Everyone knew it. I didn't even need The Joker to tell me what to do anymore; I just did things. Things that made him proud of his handiwork. Things that he would have done on his own. We were an unstoppable duo and we were actually beating Batman, for now.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I had left Mel behind this time. She was to keep a close watch on things back at the hideout. I was halfway across town checking on a rumor I needed to confirm. Apparently, I was no longer the only Master of Crime operating in Gotham. _I suppose that comes with the territory,_ I thought bitterly.

On one hand, it was nice not having to worry about Batman screwing up my deeds. But on the other, it was extremely annoying. This was MY city and no one was going to take it from me. They thought they could screw with me; well they were in for a surprise. I laughed silently under my breath to avoid detection.

I noticed a dark shadow across the street from me. I knew as soon as I saw the shape that it had to be Batman. I shrank further into the shadows on my side of the street to avoid detection by the bat. Not that I couldn't take him, but I was more looking to get a glimpse at my latest competition than getting into a fist fight with Batsy. I figured I must be in the right place though since Bats was here too.

We continued to wait. I was beginning to get antsy and bored. If no one showed in another five minutes, I was leaving. Or maybe I'd harass Bats first for some fun. I don't see how he can wait so quietly and be so still in the dark. HOW BORING!!!

I glanced down at my watch after what I was certain had to have been five minutes to find it had only been two. _Well, this is definitely the longest night of my life,_ I thought with a frown, or the best I could frown given the scars that discouraged such facial expressions.

I sighed. I couldn't take this waiting anymore. I wasn't going to leave just yet; I just thought I'd make it interesting. I stepped far enough forward in the shadows that some of the streetlight caught my face. I knew that ol' Batsy was sure to see me now if he hadn't before. He looked in my direction, but didn't more a muscle. I grinned and waved at him in a teasing manner, trying hard not to laugh.

In one quick, fluid motion, Batman swooped down from his perch and landed gracefully in front of me. I applauded, "Very nice, very impressive there Bats, been working on the sticking the landing, huh?" I cackled at my own joke.

Batman's dark eyes narrowed and seemed to grow darker. "What are you doing here, Joker?" he growled.

"Same thing you are of course!"

"Which is?"

"HAHAHA…like you actually need me to tell you what you're doing in a dark alley in Gotham at night?"

"That is not what I meant, Joker, and you know it," he said, balling his right hand into a fist.

"Alright, alright," I said, "You gotta learn to lighten up some, Bats. I've just heard about some other 'serious' criminals trying to step up and take a shot at controlling _my_ city. And that ain't gonna happen, we both know that."

Batman eyed me as if he didn't really believe what I was saying. "And just what are you going to do about it?" he asked.

"Nothing," I said with a laugh. He just stared at me. "Well, _yet_," I explained.

"Yet?"

"Well, yeah, I just want to see what I'm up against here first. And maybe give them a friendly warning that they are not going to go stepping on my territory."

"You think your territory is this whole damn city!"

"Exactly," I said with a grin. _Wow, Batsy actually gets it!_

He continued to stare at me puzzled. Trying to figure me out or come up with something to say. I just stood there grinning and giggling just to annoy him. And annoy him, I was definitely doing. He kept clenching and unclenching his fists as his face was frozen with a look of pure hatred as he willed himself not to attack me here and now. I about laughed out loud as I realized just how much I got under his skin and so easily too.

Batman growled softly as I could no longer contain myself and began laughing hysterically at this madness in front of me. It was killing him to not punch me. _Maybe I should get him to attack me, show whoever shows up here that I'm the one true threat for Batman,_ I thought as he took a half step closer to me. Maybe he was having the same thoughts.

But suddenly he froze and turned around slowly, looking further up the street. I quickly silenced my laughter…holding my breath to keep myself from having another outburst at the hilarity of my current situation.

Batman pushed me back into the shadows so I couldn't be seen by whoever was approaching our location. _What the hell?_ _I can take care of myself! And I sure as hell am not friends with Bats, but he's making it look that way!_ I thought, willing myself not to kick him out into the open and get some action going in this alley.

He also was blocking my view. I stood on my tiptoes to peer over his shoulder at the approaching figure. At first I couldn't tell much about this character, but as it grew closer I could see it was a woman. A very pretty woman. I unconsciously licked my lips as I thought of how much _fun_ it would be to take care of her, assuming she was my new criminal rival.

Batman stepped into the light to block her path to effectively confirm my suspicions. "What are you doing this time?" he growled. Somehow, he really thinks that deep voice scares us criminals…and it might but only the weak-hearted ones.

"None of your business," she replied in a sickly smooth voice.

"I've heard that one before," he said.

She didn't reply. Instead, she spun and squatted, throwing one of her legs out to catch Batman and send him to the ground. She took him down, but I knew that wasn't enough to keep the big bad bat down. I began laughing at foolishness of her attempt. She spun around to see where the laughing was coming from. She couldn't see me though as I was too far back in the shadows. I continued to laugh as I walked toward her.

When she saw me clearly, she gasped. I figured she had at least heard of me. Everyone in Gotham knew my name. I continued to laugh as I pulled out my knife and absent-mindedly began to twirl it in my right hand. Her eyes widened as she stepped back and stumbled over Batman's body. Bats didn't move but I knew better than to assume he was unconscious. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna hurt you this time," I said, stepping carefully over Batman to stand over this woman in a tight fitting green outfit. "Clearly you know who I am, I just want to know who you are, gorgeous," I explained, licking my deep red lips.

Her eyes narrowed and her face clouded over with anger. "Ivy. Poison Ivy," she spat venomously.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Here's the next chapter, before the weekend ended too just as I promised. Enjoy...**

"Poison Ivy, hmm?" I said, testing the way the name flowed from the tongue. Really she didn't sound all that threatening to me, but then I was the Clown Prince of Crime so not much seemed threatening to me.

"Yeah…and you should fear that name too!" she exclaimed, her eyes darkening into slits.

I began to laugh again. "Clearly you aren't as educated on me and how Gotham works as I originally thought."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, obviously confused.

"I'm The Joker. Gotham is _my_ city. And no one is just going to waltz in here and stake out a little spot of it for themselves," I replied matter-of-factly with an aggressive sneer.

Poison Ivy rolled her eyes and kicked at me, sending the knife in my hand flying into the darkened alleyway I had come from. She quickly stood up, ready to face off with me in a fight. I laughed like I always did. I wasn't looking to start a fight, especially with Batman lying not even a foot away playing possum if that's what you'd like to call it. Unfortunately, she was looking for a fight, and I was the target this time.

I slowly backed into the alley. Yes, I wanted my knife, but I also wanted some distance between us and the bat. She followed without hesitation and threw the first punch at my face. I cackled and nailed a right hook swiftly on her jaw. She stumbled back in shock and agony.

That's when I noticed Batman creeping up slowly behind Ivy. I laughed and knelt down to pick up my knife. And then in a flash I was gone…disappearing into the black of night, leaving Ivy to Bats.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was nearly 4 a.m. when The Joker walked through the door. I hadn't been able to sleep, worried about him. As soon as he walked in, he cried, "Honey, I'm home!" halfway sarcastically. I immediately leapt up from my nervous seat on the couch and ran to him.

I threw my arms around him into a tight hug. "I was so worried about you!"

He rolled his eyes and pushed me off him as a brief hint of disgust crossed his face. "Why would you worry about me?" he scoffed.

"What would I do without you?" I asked in reply.

He scoffed again. "You don't need me. You're already given to the life of crime. Hell, half the stuff we do now is all you. Just because _they_ don't see it, they will. You'll go far, kid."

"Yeah, maybe," I said softly.

"It's the truth," he said as he flopped down on the couch.

I walked over and sat quietly next to him. I wasn't having doubts about joining him. Oh no, that was the best decision I had made. It's just sometimes I found it better to just be silent than to converse with The Joker. Having a small understanding of his past, I knew he struggled with love and commitment. I could only hope in time he would come around and realize what we had together. I was thinking this over when he spoke, "So I met Batsy's other enemy tonight."

"And who's that?" I asked, only half listening.

"Some chick. Calls herself Poison Ivy. Doesn't seem like that much of a threat."

"Oh."

"However, she has some quick wits about her. She might prove to be an asset, if we could get her to work with us instead of trying to lay a claim to this town like us."

"Sure, might work. Doesn't hurt to try, I suppose."

"Exactly, sweets! We'll set a meeting with her, both of us, and discuss our business proposal. See what she has to say then."

"Yeah," I said, my mind still elsewhere.

"What are you thinking about?" he questioned suddenly.

"Huh? Oh, nothing. It's nothing."

"Yeah, right. You've got that glazed over look on your face when you're miles away from here in your head."

In truth, I was still thinking about us. I wanted to know what he thought about us. Yes, what he thought about _us_, but not as in the us that were partners in crime. The us that were in a relationship together, lovers maybe, but definitely more than business associates and friends. Of course, I didn't really think it was a good idea to bring this up now. Someday I would be shown how he felt about me in that sense, or have the guts to ask him directly. But not now. So I lied saying, "I was just racking my brains for a plan to destroy something in Gotham. Been awhile since we'd done any serious damage and I think it's time to remind them that we don't just quit and go away. Besides, that would send a nice message to what's-her-name on who's really in charge."

"Aah, yes," The Joker hissed as his mind began thinking of plans. "Did you have something in mind?"

"Oh yes, I think we should give them a very large explosion in a very public place. Lots of lives in the balance. Send the biggest message possible," I said with an evil chuckle.

The Joker clapped his hands together and laughed. "I _love_ the way you think, my sweet!"

I grinned. "So when do you want to do it? And where?"

The Joker sat silent for a moment, thinking it over. Then his face burst into a sadistic smile that could only mean he had the perfect idea. "We'll do it right now. Or at least set it up. And then in the morning, BOOM!" he said, throwing his hands into the air to create the illustration of an explosion. "And it'll be all over the news for the whole day!" he cackled.

"And they'll know it was us," I said, my voice full of determination.

"Oh yes, they will know. And they will be sorry, very sorry."

"But where? What are we going to blow up?" I asked, excitement beginning to well up in my chest and spill into my voice.

He laughed at my excitement. "I was thinking a bank might do the trick. Unless you had a better idea, of course."

He always did that now, offered me to come up with something better. Sometimes I did, sometimes I didn't. This would be one of those times where I didn't. "Nope, a bank sounds good to me," I said with a smile to match the one he wore.

"Excellent," he said, standing up. "Let's go then!" he exclaimed as he pulled me into a standing position next to him.

"Let's," I said as I began laughing. He quickly joined in the laugher as we made our way to the car to head off to create some chaos for our beloved city.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: I know this chapter is a little short, but I really liked the final line as a chapter ending :)**

The car skidded to a halt in front of the Bank of Gotham. "We're here!" The Joker announced as he slammed the car into park. We both jumped out of the car at the same time. He looked at the building as he breathed in deeply, inflating his chest in anticipation of triumph. I watched him cautiously, but with a huge smile on my face. Whenever The Joker was happy, I was happy. And things were always loads better when The Joker was happy.

We entered the bank and began rigging the explosives in the least obvious, yet most destructive areas. We worked in complete silence; the only sound was our footsteps echoing on the marble floor. We worked quickly as well knowing that we were on a limited time frame as sunrise would be fast approaching. Of course, we still had to be meticulous because this was a mob bank after all.

It was a quarter to six when we gathered our tools and walked out of the bank, hand in hand, as if nothing was abnormal about being at the bank this early in the morning. We turned around to get one last look at our soon-to-be masterpiece. "And in the morning, we burn it to the ground," The Joker laughed.

"Because everything burns," I replied.

"That's right, Mels, that's right," he said, giving me a one-armed hug. That was usually the most affection I would get from him. But I was ok with that because I knew the affection was just buried deep under all the makeup and pain that made him who he was – it would surface someday.

As we drove away, I noticed something dart into the shadows of a nearby alleyway. I turned around to see if my eyes were playing tricks on me or not. I was really tired after all. As I peered into the darkness as we drove by, I saw a glimpse of orange and green retreating into the darkness.

"Whatcha lookin' at, sweets?" The Joker asked when he realized I was staring into the darkness.

"Nothing, I just thought I saw something in the alley is all," I said turning my attention to him.

"Okay," he said, returning his gaze to the road.

"Didn't you say her name was Poison Ivy?" I asked suddenly.

The Joker turned to look at me. "Yeahhh, why?"

"What did she look like?" I asked, ignoring his question.

"She was pretty I guess," he shrugged. "Not as pretty as you though."

"That's not what I mean," I said, trying not to blush at his compliment. "Hair color? What did she wear?"

He laughed, "Because guys really pay attention to that, sweets."

I sighed in frustration. "Fine, don't tell me then, I don't care," I huffed as I turned away from him and rested my head against the cold window.

He laughed again. "Aww, come on, Mel, I was just telling it like it is," he said, reaching a gloved hand to stroke my cheek. I shrugged it off. "Hey! Look at me!" he growled when I continued to ignore him and his touch.

Slowly I turned my head and brought my eyes to meet his. "What?" I asked bitterly.

"Now don't be like that. We've got a great thing you and I and it's about to get even better," he said, attempting to be gentle.

"Yeah, ok," I said.

"Why are you asking about Poison Ivy anyways?"

"Because when we were leaving I thought I saw something orange and green in that alley and I just wondered if it could have been her," I explained.

"Oh! Probably was, but like I said earlier, we don't need to worry about her."

"What if she tries to mess up our plan?"

"She won't; she can't mess it up. And she can't take credit either, we left our calling cards," he said with a laugh so sinister that it sent chills down my spine.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Thanks for the reviews! Looks like you guys are enjoying this story so far. I'll do my best to get the next chapter up within a day or two...until then, enjoy this slightly longer one :)**

When we made it back home, I was so tired that I couldn't even make it to my room before falling asleep. I flopped down onto the couch and crashed for the night. The Joker simply went to his room and left me undisturbed.

I awoke the next morning to the sounds of a huge explosion and The Joker's laughter. I groaned as I sat up, feeling the ache in my back and neck from sleeping on the hard couch all night. I squinted and blinked about a hundred times trying to adjust to the bright lights. The noises had subsided briefly, but as soon as the explosions started again, and so loud I thought it was happening right on top of me, so did The Joker's laughter. I flinched at how loud everything was, or seemed to a newly awaken person. "What the hell is going on?" I asked, agitated at my sleep interrupted and confused at all the commotion.

The Joker stopped when he heard my voice and slowly turned around to face me. "Well, good morning, doll face!" he exclaimed, clapping his hands together in glee.

"Morning," I replied. "What's all the racket for?" I asked again, although this time I wasn't so rude about it.

"Simple," he said, coming over and grabbing my hand. "We're the number one story on the news!" he cried, bursting into another fit of laughter as he pulled me up from my seat on the couch.

I stood there, slightly puzzled, watching the explosion of the Bank of Gotham played again on the TV. Realization slowly began to sink in as I continued to watch, hearing The Joker laugh behind me, and as I shook off the foggy confines of sleep. I turned to him, "Have they given a damage report yet?"

"Oh yes," he said as he sunk onto the couch, recovering from his laughter. "We blew the whole thing up! All of the money…GONE!" he said, waving his hands in the air.

"And?" I pressed him, wanting to know more about the injured and dead.

"And, oh, about a hun—"

"Wait, all the money is gone?!?" I cut him off as the magnitude of his words hit me.

"Well, yeah, everything burns. You said that yourself last night, don't ya remember?" he answered, puzzled by my apparent confusion.

"But, but…that was a mob bank!" I exclaimed.

"Yeah, so?" he replied. "Shows them that we're the ones really in charge of Gotham, now don't it?"

"But now they're gonna come after us! We just burned up who knows how many millions of dollars belonging to them!"

The Joker laughed. "No, no, we don't have to worry about the mob."

"And why not?" I demanded as I began pacing, trying to not panic.

"Because they know not to mess with me. The last time they got involved with me, I showed them that no one orders me around. They're kinda afraid of me you could say," he explained proudly.

"Yeah, maybe but we still burned their money to the ground," I protested, unable to believe the mob wouldn't attempt to get even.

"They've got more where that came from. Hell, they've got more in about four or five other banks in this city," he explained. "Now, don't you want to know how many lives we screwed up in our ingenious little plan?"

"Oh, yeah," I said. "How bad? Or, err, good?" I asked.

"Well, there's no definite numbers yet. Those will probably come by tonight. But definitely a few hundred. Probably near a hundred seriously injured, if not dead. And another at least seventy dead at the scene," he said triumphantly.

My jaw dropped in awe. I had to admit those numbers were astounding for the amount of explosives used. "That is terrific!" I exclaimed as I ran over and jumped into his waiting arms.

He pulled me into a tight hug. "Yes it is! And it was all _your_ idea."

I looked him in the eyes and reminded him, "I only suggested the what. You picked the where and when. So really it was _our_ idea."

Still holding me, he said, "I suppose you're right. It was our idea." Then he gave me a quick kiss before lowering me and breaking our embrace. We both began laughing then. Somehow, we just couldn't help it. Whether we were laughing at our handiwork or the awkward kiss he had just given me, I didn't know and I doubt that he knew. It was just nice to revel in the laughter for a moment…together.

He paused for a second. I quit laughing too merely a split second afterwards. "Hey, do you want to go down to the site and see our destruction and chaos first hand?" he asked.

"Heck yes!" I exclaimed. He chuckled and my joyous excitement to his suggestion.

At the site of destruction, there was great confusion and madness. People were running all over the place, some screaming and crying, others trying to help the injured. There seemed to be an appropriate haze over the area, literally caused by the incinerated concrete and marble; figuratively caused by the broken emotions of all those affected.

We probably could have easily blended into the crowd watching as the medics worked to rescue those remaining alive and the firefighters checked for any more areas still smoldering or burning. Of course, to be safe and because The Joker does tend to "stand out," we took to standing at the edge of the alleyway where I had seen someone the night before. We were close enough to hear everything and really get a feel for the atmosphere, yet far enough away that we would be completely unnoticed.

There really was no way to really describe the scene. It was complete destruction. What had been a grand and formidable building mere hours ago was now just a pile of rubble and debris. The people running around was insanity; trying to rescue the injured and trapped, loading up the dead to be taken to the morgue for identification. I stood there, watching, but not really seeing. All I could see was chaos. And that was the only word that would come to mind that was appropriate enough to describe this horrifically depressing scene.

Suddenly, my eyes came to focus on the man on the stretcher about three feet from us. The paramedics were rushing him to an awaiting ambulance, yelling that he needed to go straight to Gotham General and be put into the ICU. I stared at the man who was covered in blood, cuts, and bruises. Something looked very familiar about him and I tried to see through the blood to what made him so familiar.

That's when it dawned on me. They were loading him into the back of the ambulance. Attempting to move quickly yet be gentle. That's when one of the paramedics spoke his name, "Andrew, if you can hear us, you're going to the hospital to be treated for your injuries."

_Andrew?_ I thought. "Dad?" I spoke softly in question. I got one last glimpse of him as they closed the doors on the ambulance and it began to move away from the scene. "Dad!" I cried out as I attempted to run after the ambulance. I couldn't run though as I felt hands grab tightly to me.

The Joker effectively pinned my arms to my side and held me tightly to his chest. I attempted to break free, but he was much stronger than I was. "Let me go!" I demanded. "I need to be with my father! Look what we did to my father!" I cried as the tears began to stream down my face.

The Joker still held tightly to me. He whispered in my ear, "Shh! You can't go running off after him, you'll expose us. Then what was the point in all this if we're arrested?"

"What the hell is the point when we might have killed my father?!?!" I exclaimed, getting more upset by the minute.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I was beginning to get agitated. How could she possibly be this upset over injuring her father? The man who kept her from seeing me for a year. The man who tried to convince her that she was simply a tool for me to achieve my grander schemes. I whispered into her ear, "We didn't kill him. He'll be fine."

"I want to see him! I want to go to the hospital and see him…now," she demanded.

I rolled my eyes. "We can't. If we waltz into the hospital to say hello to your pops, we're gonna be arrested and sent to Arkham. We don't have a means of escape."

"I don't care. I want to see my dad. I have to know that he's going to be ok."

"Why do you care so much? All he's done in the last year and a half is hurt you."

"He's still my father," she growled.

I figured it was probably pointless for me to continue arguing with her. "Fine, you can go to the hospital and see him. But we're going now, like right now, because the odds of them realizing who _you_ are is slim to none with as crazy as it is there. But you're not gonna see him after that, it's too dangerous."

She nodded as I loosened my grip on her. She turned around and gave me a light kiss, "Thank you."

I licked my lips and nodded once. I wasn't about to step foot in there. I would be recognized immediately, but I would take her there. And I had a plan for later. I knew he was in bad shape, and I knew once she realized that she would probably be even more upset if not pissed at me. But I knew exactly what I would do to make her happy again because I knew that she couldn't resist me, no matter how hard she tried…


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Alright, so I ended up on a roll with this one and got it done pretty quickly. And guess what? It's a LONG chapter for once!!! LOL...enjoy guys! And please keep the reviews coming...they put a smile on my face :)**

The Joker drove me to the hospital and let me out. "I'll wait for you up the block. Be careful of who's watching you," he warned.

"I will," I said, opening my door to get out.

"Stay as long as you need to," he said sweetly as I closed the car door with a nod. He really did care, sometimes.

I walked into the hospital and headed for the intensive care area to find my dad. It really wasn't that hard to find Andrew Staples nor was it difficult to avoid the doctors and nurses. I grabbed his chart to find out what how bad it was as I entered his room. Technically, you weren't supposed to go into intensive care rooms, but I didn't care about etiquette. I just needed to see my father…now.

I stood just inside the doorway, reading over his chart. I skimmed over the identity and stuff like that, I knew who he was. My eyes frantically scanned the pages until I found one that discussed his condition and treatment. _Trauma to the occipital lobe; massive blood loss; unconscious on arrival; blood transfusion; condition stabilized; induced coma until further damage can be assessed, possibility of severe concussion._

I turned the page to find out exactly what happened to him. I wanted to have an idea of where he was when the building went up in smoke. I found the report from the first responders and began reading, _Near the door when explosion occurred. Thrown from the building approximately 6 feet. Back of the head collided with pavement hard causing a great deal of blood loss, likely unconscious shortly afterwards. Pelted with glass shards from the door. To be taken to Gotham General for full analysis followed by necessary treatment._

Finally, I threw down the chart as the tears burned my eyes. I slowly walked to my father's bedside. I took his right hand in mine and gently rubbed my thumb over the top of his hand. "I'm so sorry, Dad," I whispered. "I didn't mean for this to happen to you. You should never have gotten hurt and it's all my fault. I'm so sorry. I hope you can forgive me," I said as the tears began to silently make their way down my cheeks. I wanted him to respond, but I knew he wouldn't. I could only hope that he would hear me and accept my apology.

I continued to stand there, rubbing my dad's hand and whispering apologies to him. Suddenly, I heard a familiar voice behind me, "Didn't expect to see you here." I turned around to find Bruce Wayne, impeccably dressed in a suit, smiling at me.

"Yeah, well, it's my dad…" I trailed off, overtaken by the tears once more.

Bruce closed the distance between us and took me into a hug, causing me to let go of my father's hand to wrap my arms around Bruce. I continued to cry and sniffle, certain I was getting snot and salt tears all over his expensive suit. _Hopefully, he doesn't mind,_ I thought. He didn't mind. He continued to hold me, rubbing his hands gently on my back as we began to sway in a lulling way. He rested his chin on the top of my head, "It's ok, Melanie. Everything will be ok."

When I managed to get my tears mostly under control, I pulled back from Bruce's chest and looked up at him. I knew my eyes were really red and still full of tears, but they would fall silently now. "Everything is not going to be ok, Bruce," I said, trying to keep from breaking down again.

"What makes you say that?" he asked gently.

"What makes you say different?" I countered. Then I sighed, realizing I was acting very rude toward the one man who clearly cared about my dad and me right now. "Sorry," I muttered.

"It's ok," he said. "I understand."

"It's just…this is all my fault. I did this to my dad. I actually put my father, my own father, in the hospital. And he might not make it out, Bruce!" I cried. I began sobbing again; I couldn't stop it. I might hate my father for keeping me from The Joker for a year and treating me like a helpless five-year-old for part of that time, but he was my dad and deep down I did love him.

Bruce took to hugging me again. He really was good at giving the hugs. You felt really safe in his arms. I did have to remind myself that it was kinda wrong to think like that; I was with The Joker after all. "Melanie, this is not your fault. You don't need to beat yourself up like this."

"Yes, I do because this is my fault," I said into his chest.

"Was it your idea then?" he asked cautiously. I could tell by the way his voice cracked that it really hurt him to have to ask.

"Mostly," I admitted, casting my gaze to the floor.

"Mostly?" he questioned.

"Yeah," I said, staring at my feet because I couldn't bring myself to look into his eyes.

"Will you please explain it to me, Melanie?" he asked, gently lifting my chin so I was forced to meet his gaze.

"Well," I began sadly, "I suggested to The Joker that we do a large explosion in a public place for maximum effect."

"Ok, I'm feeling a 'but' coming," Bruce said with a tiny smile to encourage me to continue.

"Well, The Joker came up with blowing up the Bank of Gotham this morning. So we went and set it up, and here we are."

"So in other words, this is not entirely your fault."

"I guess, but I feel like it is. I never meant for my dad to get hurt."

"I know that and I'm sure he knows that too."

"But Bruce, what if he doesn't wake up? What if he…" I trailed off because I just couldn't bring myself to say the word "dies."

Bruce knew what I was trying to say though. "He won't. He'll make it."

"How do you know?"

"Well, first, I know that your dad is a fighter, like you. Second, I talked with the doctor and he is expected to make a full recovery. They think he may have a minor concussion, but it's nothing to worry about. He will be just fine," Bruce explained, giving me a tight, reassuring hug.

"Thanks," I said.

"No problem. If it makes you feel better, I'll keep my eye on him as he recovers at home."

"I would really appreciate that. I don't think I'll really be able to come around," I said, breaking the eye contact with him once again.

"Why do you stay with him?" Bruce asked suddenly.

"What choice do I have?" I responded without really thinking.

"You know that I would be willing to help you, all you have to do is ask. If you want to leave The Joker, you can."

"Oh, no, I don't want that," I said quickly as I realized what we were talking about.

"Why not?"

"Because I love him," I said as another tear trekked down my face.

"The Joker isn't capable of loving you back though. You do realize this, right, Melanie?"

"Maybe, maybe not. I'm still trying to determine that," I admitted.

"Melanie, I know you believe in the good in people and I know that something unique, maybe even special, happened between you and The Joker in that time you were with him before he went to Arkham. But, Melanie, I'm afraid if you continue to dig below the scars and makeup, you're not going to like what you find. You won't be finding a normal man capable of love and affection," Bruce explained sadly as his eyes seemed to plead for me to listen to him.

"You might be right, Bruce. But then again, you might not be. There's just something about him that draws me to him. And there's just a feeling I get when I'm around him that makes me think there's something more to the man."

"And you really think you can find that speck of normalcy in the clown?"

"Yes," I confirmed confidently. "Yes, Bruce, I do, but only if I dig deep enough."

"Exactly how deep is that?" he asked.

"I don't know. I just know that I'm not there yet. Hopefully, I will be someday. It will just take time, everything does. You'll see."

"That's what I'm afraid of. Even if you do find a better man buried within, he won't be able to stop his current tendencies. I don't want to see you get hurt, Melanie," he said and I could clearly hear the hurt in his voice and see the pain in his eyes.

"I won't. I can take care of myself," I said in an attempt to relieve his concern.

"I know you can, but it may not be that simple with him. Just promise me that if it looks bad or you need someone, you will tell me."

"Sure," I replied a little too quickly.

"Promise me, Melanie. If not for yourself and me, then for your father."

I sighed. "I promise, Bruce."

He took me into another tight hug and whispered, "Thank you," in my ear.

I pulled away. "I suppose I should be going. Will you tell my dad that I was here when he wakes up?"

"I can do that," Bruce said.

"Thanks. Let him know that I love him, too."

"Of course."

I gave Bruce another hug and a light peck on the cheek because I really couldn't think of words to express my gratitude that he would at least be around for my father if I wasn't. I suppose I had to be pleased with his concern and care for me as well, but I wouldn't as readily admit to that one. My heart belonged to another man, one who was a little less accepted by Gotham City.

I left the room and maneuvered through the crowded hallway without a backward glance over my shoulder. I blinked as I stepped into the bright sunlight. Then I looked up the street and spotted The Joker's car. I ran to it and hopped in, slamming the door shut.

"Ready then?" he asked slyly.

"Whenever you are," I said sharply.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As I pulled the car into traffic, I asked, "So how's Pops?"

"Just fine. Or he will be," she said coldly as she turned to staring out the window. She wasn't looking at anything in particular though, just staring without focusing on anything concrete. She always did that when she was annoyed.

"What did I tell ya?" I laughed.

She didn't answer me. Just continued to stare at nothing. That was fine. I didn't press her. I knew she would come around soon enough, so I let the silence overtake the car.

I shot glances at her the entire ride home, but never once did she move or look at me. She just continued to lean against the window and stare at the passing scenery. It was almost as if she was attempting to sit as far away from me as possible. That thought made my blood boil slightly, but it wouldn't be too much longer before she loved me again.

I pulled the car into the garage and cut the engine. "We're here, sweets," I said, leaning toward her.

She glared at me and spat, "I'm not blind, you know?" Then she opened her car door and got out, slamming it behind her. _Boy do I love it when she gets so fired up,_ I thought with a smile.

I got out and followed her. "I don't understand, your dad's going to be fine. Why are you mad at me?"

"Because."

"That's not an answer and you know it," I said, trying to keep myself from laughing.

"This was all your dumb idea and it nearly got my father killed!"

I really couldn't contain myself anymore. I burst out laughing, "Last night I was a genius and now I'm an idiot?!?!"

"Yes," she said stubbornly.

"Well that's just brilliant," I laughed. "Oh, and by the way, this was _our_ idea, not mine."

"Shut up!" she spat angrily.

"I'm just giving the facts, sweets," I said as innocently as I could between my laughter. She really was just too funny when she was trying to be mad at me. I could see the smile twitching at the sides of her mouth. _This was going to be a piece of cake to get her back,_ I thought.

"Don't call me 'sweets' and don't laugh at me!" she growled as she turned on her heel and stormed off to her room. I laughed, but didn't follow her…not yet.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I threw myself onto my bed, burying my face in the pillows as I broke down into sobs again. I cried for myself, my dad, Bruce, and even The Joker. Most of all for The Joker. My mind was racing with all the thoughts of the past few hours and thoughts of the past day. I just emotionally couldn't take it, so I continued to cry. I cried until I felt it would be impossible to cry anymore, yet I did.

I was pretty much unaware of my general surroundings as I was too absorbed in my thoughts. Suddenly, I felt a weight on the edge of the bed. Then this _thing_ shifted to lie next to me. I felt a comforting gloved hand rub my back as he cooed in my ear, "I never knew you could cry so much, but it's ok, I'm hear for you…get it all out."

It was The Joker, of course, attempting to come to my rescue. His voice was sickly sweet, but his words sounded full of genuine concern. I rolled onto my side and then sat up so I could look at him. He sat up as I did, keeping one hand comfortably on my shoulder. He took the other one to my face and began to wipe away my tears. I tried to smile faintly.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Such as simple gesture and already I was winning her back. _Step two_, I thought as I pulled her into a hug. This proved a little difficult with us both sitting, but I managed even if it was a bit awkward. I couldn't help but think, _This was a lot simpler the last time. But then the last time wasn't really "my" fault._

I held her head into my chest, lightly kissing the top of her head as I said, "It's ok, Mels. I know you're upset right now, but you'll see that it's all really for the better."

She mumbled something that I didn't understand, but that was fine because I didn't need to know what she was saying to know that I was winning. Her body began to relax and her breathing smoothed out to normal. It was almost as if she was melting in my touch.

She raised her head to look in my eyes. Her pretty green ones staring up at me, full of love and devotion. It almost made me want to laugh, but I knew that would not help the situation so I bit my tongue. Instead, I leaned down and planted a kiss on her lips.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My eyes widened in surprise as his lips met mine. I couldn't help but wonder if maybe, just maybe he was performing an act of affection. _Could I be getting close to finding that good man underneath the mask? Does The Joker actually love me?_ I thought as I easily kissed him back. His tongue played at my lips, so I gladly parted my lips to allow the access he sought.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I couldn't believe how easy it was to make her love me. She was so gullible and played easily into my hands. All it took was a simple kiss and she was mine once more. I chuckled at this revelation, and I felt her smile, as she didn't understand what had caused me to laugh.

I decided that I would be certain she was exactly where I wanted her. All mine, and mine only. I began running my hands through her hair, trailing them down her back. She groaned in pleasure and squirmed her body closer to mine. Then she wrapped her arms around my neck as we continued to kiss. My triumph was in the bag now; I could taste it.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He kissed me passionately. This just had to be an act of love. What else could it be? He pulled me closer until I was sitting in his lap. I wrapped my legs around his waist so I would be more comfortable. He continued to kiss me tenderly, but behind the gentle touch was a wave of desire. I could feel its energy washing over both of us as we sat tangled together.

He wasn't wearing a tie. _I guess he took it off when we got home. No matter though,_ I thought as I began to unbutton his shirt while he continued to run his fingers through my hair. As I got two or three buttons undone, I gently touched my cool fingers to his warm chest. He moaned as my skin brushed his and I giggled in delight. _Looks like it is love after all_, I thought with a smile.

I managed to unbutton nearly half of his shirt before he stopped me. He pulled away and pushed me back some so that our faces weren't mere inches from each other. "I don't think this is a good idea," he said.

"What?" I asked confused.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I don't think this is such a good idea," I repeated as I begun re-buttoning my shirt.

"Oh…" she said, still sounding puzzled.

I smiled at her and continued fixing my shirt. I had to make this stop before she got too far under my skin to the point where I couldn't think.

"Why not?" she asked.

I was a bit thrown off by the question so I remained silent a moment to think of an appropriate answer. And hopefully one that wouldn't piss her off. _I don't actually love you? No that's not good, _I thought. "Because you're too emotional right now and you'll regret whatever happens later."

"But I want you. I need you. I love you," she said.

I grinned and chuckled a bit. _Unfortunately, I don't return that feeling. You're just a tool, a sidekick, a puppet. Yes, one that I hold a great advantage over simply by applying my charm._ "You think that in the moment, but later you will regret it. I'd rather you didn't, so nothing more is going to happen here."

She sighed and looked at me pleading with her eyes. _Sorry sweets, I just keep you begging for more, but you'll never get more from me…not as long as I can keep you from working deep under my skin at least._

I simply shook my head. She then got off my lap. I quickly got up from the bed, afraid she might try something. I wasn't about to lose control. I smiled again and then I turned and left the room without saying another word.

I closed the door behind me and smiled. I began to laugh as I walked down the hall because I knew I had won. I had manipulated her so well that she actually believed I may be able to show her some love. _Poor thing,_ I thought as I laughed again. That was the last I thought of how I had used her feelings to my advantage. And it no longer matter because she wasn't mad at me anymore, nor was she upset. She was my same old Melanie once more…


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: So I meant to get this chapter up alot sooner, but kinda hit a wall on where to go. But then I came up with some stuff to make happen so I could move forward. Anyway, this chapter's kinda short, but it's more to give a better idea to how Mel feels after the last chapter. And I'll shut up now and just let you read it and see for yourself...**

I sat there in the dark, staring at the closed door. It's like I couldn't actually believe what had just occurred. I didn't understand. I didn't cry or scream or anything. I just sat there, staring at the door. Did I expect it to open again to find him re-enter laughing like he just told the funniest joke ever? I don't know. Maybe.

My brain didn't even have thoughts whizzing through it like you might expect. It was a complete blank, as dark as the room was fast becoming as the sun set signaling the end of another day.

Finally, as my back began to hurt from sitting so straight and still for so long, I let my gaze drop from the door as I flopped back on the bed to stare at the ceiling. This is when thoughts finally began to return to me. _He was so close to showing true love and affection for me, I just knew it. I could feel it. I could tell by how it touched me, how he kissed me, how he held me. But how to I get him to be able to actually express this love fully? Maybe if I could find out more about his past…not the super painfully stuff, but maybe if I could find out his real name or something. I could gently say it to him and maybe that's the side buried deep inside, that's the side that loves me._

I groaned. There was no way The Joker would ever tell me his real name. Just like I doubted there was any way for him to truly be able to express how he feels about me. I punched the mattress and rolled over to attempt to fall asleep, even though I knew it would not be a good night's sleep.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I sat at the edge of my bed, twiddling my thumbs as I tapped my foot on the floor. I didn't know how she would behave in the morning. What I thought would be showing affection to win her back might have been ruined with my abrupt departure. I forgot how infatuated with me that Mel was. I hadn't anticipated her wanting me so badly. Did I feel bad though? Nope. She ought to know I don't _love_ her. I licked my lips as if to get a bad taste out of my mouth at the disgusting thought of love.

Either way, I had a plan for the next day. Even if she was still pissed with me, I knew that my idea would make things better. She had an appetite for destruction (thanks to me) that she wouldn't deny. I was going to set up that meeting with Poison Ivy which I was certain Mel would be excite to participate in. I grinned as I thought of my plan…a plan that would no doubt prove interesting, maybe even entertaining. With that thought, I got up and went to get in the shower.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When I decided it was pointless to even attempt to sleep anymore, I got up, dressed, and went to see what was on TV. Of course, there was nothing worth watching, so I tossed the remote down and went into the kitchen to make breakfast.

I began rummaging through the cabinets to find the necessary ingredients to make pancakes. I needed something to keep myself busy so that my thoughts wouldn't begin wandering to things that had kept me up all night.

Suddenly, I felt two arms wrap around my waist and a seductive voice hiss in my ear, "Whatcha makin'?"

I knew who it was, but I turned around anyways to be face to face with The Joker. I frowned. "I'm making pancakes if you must know," I said bitterly as I slapped his arm with the spatula so he'd let me go. I then inched away from him and continued with my preparation.

"I think someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," he snickered.

I turned back around to give him a death glare. "Are you trying to piss me off?" I asked.

He faked a look of shock. "Me? Piss you off? Never!"

I rolled my eyes. "Well, you're well on your way to doing it already again today. So why don't you just save yourself and keep your big mouth shut!" I spat, turning back to mixing the pancake batter.

"Alright, alright. Touchy, aren't we?" he said with a laugh as if to egg me on.

I spun around so fast with the spoon still in my hand that some of the batter ended up hitting The Joker square in the face. I can't say he didn't deserve it though. I was honestly furious with him, but seeing him look shocked and disgusted as he wiped the batter off his face with his hand, I just started cracking up. He flicked it off his hand with a look of annoyance onto the table.

Then he spoke, "Think that's funny, do ya?"

I quit laughing immediately. My anger toward him came back as I said coldly, "No, it's not funny."

"That's what I thought," he said. "Now what's your problem?"

"What's my problem? What's my problem?" I repeated raising my voice as my blood began to boil. "I don't have a problem!" I shouted. Then I turned my back on him and angrily finished the pancakes.

I marched over and tossed the plate in front of him. Then I sat down across from him and ate mine as quickly as possible. I didn't say a word to him and I didn't dare make eye contact. I threw my fork down with a clatter on the plate as I stood up. He jumped and looked up at me. I answered his look with a glare.

"So, I was thinking," he began. I didn't say a word or turn to look at him, so he continued, "I was thinking that we should go talk with Poison Ivy today. Or more like tonight. Sound good to you?"

"Do whatever you want," I said.

"Well, if we're gonna talk to her, you're gonna have to come with. We are partners after all," he explained.

"Yeah, sure. Whatever," I replied.

"Excellent!" he exclaimed, taking my response as a definite and enthusiastic yes when it really wasn't. "So what do you want to do today?" he asked eagerly.

"Do whatever the hell you want. I'm going out," I said, throwing the towel onto the counter and marching out of the house.

The Joker remained seated as he watched me exit. I slammed the door behind me, causing him to jump. He didn't follow though. He just started laughing; I could hear it as I moved away from the door. _Jerk,_ I thought bitterly to myself even though I knew I would probably forgive him by tonight.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Ok, so this is a bit of a branch off from what I originally was thinking for Chapter 7, but I think it's gonna turn out alot better this way. Next chapter though will definitely be the next encounter with Poison Ivy and hopefully I'll get that up later today. Thanks for the reviews and hope you all enjoy...**

I just started walking, not paying any attention to where I was going. I just let my feet carry me away from The Joker. It seemed the further I got from him, the calmer I became. Before long, I found myself standing in the park in front of a huge oak tree. _Why not? _I thought as I saw it had the perfect branches for sitting on.

I climbed up and positioned myself on a suitable branch. I leaned back against the tree trunk and breathed a sigh of relief. Not only could I sit here to enjoy the late fall day but also if The Joker came looking for me, he wouldn't spot me up here unless he was right under the tree.

I closed my eyes and began reminiscing as the sun streamed across my face through the leaves. My life was definitely not where I had expected it to be. And while I would love to say it's better than I imagined, it's not. Here I was a criminal, helping a complete psychopath and to top it off I was madly in love with him. The Joker, a man incapable of love. Soon my thoughts turned to daydreaming as I imagined my life being different. If I hadn't met The Joker my first day out in downtown, or if I hadn't fallen in love with him.

Suddenly, a familiar voice pulled me from my thoughts. "What are you doing up there?"

I opened my eyes and looked down to see Bruce Wayne looking up at me. He held a hand up to shield his eyes from the sun as he stared up at me, looking intrigued. "Oh, hello!" I called down to him with a wave.

He waved back. "Really, what are you doing up there?" he asked again.

"Just thinking," I said as I began shifting myself so I could jump down.

"Oh," he said. "No, no, don't get down. I'll climb up," he called as he saw me getting ready to leap down.

"But won't you ruin your suit?" I asked.

"Nah, don't worry about it," he said as he began climbing up to join me.

I sat back on the branch and made room for him as he reached me. "Kinda secluded up here," he commented.

"That was kind of the point," I muttered.

"Am I bothering you?"

"No, not at all. I was just saying that's why I picked it."

"Ohh, I get it. This is Melanie's secret thinking spot, huh?" he teased.

"Sure, we could call it that I guess."

"So I must be pretty special to be allowed to join you then."

"Yes, Bruce, you're pretty special," I replied with a smile. I couldn't help but think of how sweet he was. Why couldn't The Joker learn a thing or two from him?

Bruce smiled back. "Oh, your dad woke up last night. Everything looks good, just like I told you. I think they're sending him home tomorrow. Don't worry, I'll keep my eye on him."

"Does he know?"

"Know what?"

"That I was responsible."

"Melanie, it wouldn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that you and Joker were behind it all. But he understands."

"Ok," I replied, breaking my eye contact with Bruce. Somehow I just felt so guilty and unworthy of him being kind to me with all the bad things I was responsible for and how awful I had treated him in the past (not that I knew it was him at the time, but still).

"So can I ask you what you were thinking about before I appeared?" he asked, clearly sensing it was best to change the subject.

"It was nothing really."

"Liar."

"I was just thinking about how getting caught up in all this was never what I expected. Kinda started thinking about what my life would be like if things worked out differently."

"Differently? How so?"

"Like if I wouldn't have met The Joker."

"Or started 'dating' him?"

"My dad told you about that, didn't he?" I asked, shocked that Bruce would have known about that.

"Actually he did, but I knew before he told me. I have ways of finding things out, you know?" he said.

He didn't need to say anything more. I kept forgetting that he actually was Batman. It just seemed so illogical. But I suppose that's the point. No one would suspect the influential billionaire and notorious playboy as Gotham's vigilante who kept a watchful eye on the city. I chuckled at this thought.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"Just thinking of the irony that you are…well, you know," I ended awkwardly.

He smiled and laughed softly too. "I suppose it is fascinating, isn't it?"

I nodded. "So what made you do it?"

"Alfred. And my determination to use what I feared to strike fear into the hearts of Gotham's hardened criminals. I didn't want anyone else to have to go through what I did, losing my parents the way I did."

"Oh," I said. I had heard about Bruce's family. "Sorry I asked," I said as I could see the hurt in his eyes as he remembered that night.

"It's ok; I don't mind," he said, giving me a weak smile. "I've learned to endure."

Silence came between us as we both were thinking of different things. I was sure Bruce was thinking of what had made him into who he was today. I, on the other hand, was thinking about his words and how willing he was to share his past, unlike The Joker. Finally, Bruce spoke, "Does he know where you are?"

"Who?"

"Joker."

"Oh," I said. "Nope."

"Really?" Bruce asked, seeming surprised by this revelation.

"I got kind of mad at him actually and just left. He didn't follow me either."

"Oh," Bruce nodded understandingly. "Mad enough to think about turning over a new leaf? No more life of crime?"

I could tell he was only halfway serious in his question, but I answered truthfully, "I don't know. I feel there's something there and I want to find it, but then I don't know if it's really worth what I have to go through to find it."

He nodded again. "I can't tell you what to do, Melanie. It's your life; it's your decision. But if you ever find it's too hard for you or not worth the pain and effort, you have somewhere to go, you have someone to turn to. And don't you forget that."

I nodded, "I know, Bruce, and I do appreciate that." Then I leaned over and gave him a hug. He hugged me back and smiled.

When we pulled apart, he looked to the sun that was just beginning to set and said, "I suppose we should both be heading back to our homes. We wouldn't want anyone to find out that you've been associating with me." He winked at me as he jumped down from the tree.

I nodded and leapt from the branch into his waiting arms. He just didn't want me to get hurt, and I smiled at him as he put me down. "Thanks," I said.

"Not a problem. Have a nice evening, Melanie," he said as he turned to leave.

"You too, Bruce," I said as I headed off in the opposite direction.


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Sorry guys! I totally meant to get this up last night, but that didn't happen obviously. Here it is now though. :)**

When I returned home, if that's really what you want to call it, I was greeted by The Joker. Or rather, I was practically jumped on by him. "Where have you been?" he asked.

"Just around. Did some walking, needed to clear my head," I answered, thinking that was a suitable answer and he would move out of my way.

"Well, you could let a person know. I was worried sick about you!"

I rolled my eyes and pushed past him.

"Where do you think you're going now?" he called after me. "We need to leave to meet up with Poison Ivy, remember?"

"Sure thing," I said. "I'm just going to change and then I'm ready to go. You don't need to go getting all worked up over nothing."

He didn't say anything, but I heard him growl in frustration as I closed by bedroom door. I smiled to myself, satisfied to see that I was getting on his nerves for once.

I returned ten minutes later in clean clothes. "I'm ready, but are you?" I asked smugly as he lay sprawled out on the couch, looking bored.

"Yes, I'm ready," he answered rudely as he stood up. "Let's go," he said, pulling me into the garage to get into the car.

"You don't have to be so damn pushy, you know?" I said. "All little kindness and politeness goes a long way."

It was his turn to roll his eyes. "I'm sorry," he said sarcastically. "Will you please get in the car?"

"See, that was so bad, now was it?" I said, opening the passenger door and climbing in as he strode around to the driver's side and got in.

The ride to the assigned meeting place, an abandoned warehouse near the Narrows, was completely silent between the two of us. The Joker didn't even laugh like a maniac just to break the silence. You could have heard a pin drop, seriously.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We arrived right on time. I hopped out of the car eagerly to see what I could learn about this Poison Ivy character. Mel got out slowly and walked half a pace behind me into the place.

Poison Ivy was already waiting on us. "About time you showed up," she said irritably.

"We're not late. We're right on time," I fired back.

"Yeah, ok, what do you want? I've got better things to be doing than standing here talking to you and your girlfriend, you know."

I decided to ignore the line about Mel being my girlfriend. "I saw how you fight the other night and you do a fair job of holding your own. So we have come to make an offer to you."

"Which is?"

"Would you like to join our team?"

"Your team?" she scoffed.

"Yes, there's lots of room for _aggressive _expansion and we are offering you the opportunity to be involved in this expansion as we eliminate the Batman and take Gotham for ourselves."

"Well, Mr. Joker, I've seen what you two are capable of the other day. I do believe you'll recall it was all over the news."

I laughed and Mel actually joined in with me. "Yes, it was. One of our finer works, wasn't it, Mel?"

"That it was. Don't know that it could've gotten much better than that," Mel agreed with her evil smile.

"Well, that little spectacle of yo—" Poison Ivy began.

Mel interrupted her though. "I wouldn't call that a 'little spectacle.' Little for us is robbing a bank. Blowing it up though, much bigger. Give credit where credit is due instead of selling our contributions short," she said as her eyes narrowed into a glare directed at Ivy.

I cackled in triumph. Mel was clearly returning to her normal self…or the normal self I had created. Of course, neither knew the real reason I was laughing, but it didn't matter.

"Fine," Poison Ivy spat bitterly, "your spot of fun the other morning clearly shows that all you two care about is destruction. And that's where the problem comes in."

"Problem?" I questioned.

"Yes, problem. You and your love care only for the destruction of things when you should be about the preservation of Mother Earth."

I stared at her in disbelief before bursting into a fit of laughter. "Oh that's a good one! You had me going for a second!"

"It's not a joke! I am being serious."

"Sometimes you have to destroy things to preserve others though," Mel said.

This time I turned to Mel in disbelief. She just gave me a quick half-smirk. Clearly she was trying to make a point here.

Poison Ivy paused a moment to think over Mel's words. Then she spoke, "That is true. However, there are ways to do that without bullets and gasoline. You don't need an explosion to send the message."

"And then what do you need?" I asked.

"There are more _natural_ ways," she said, taking a step closer to me.

"What?" I asked.

"You mean like poisons and toxins?" Mel questioned.

Poison Ivy turned to look at Mel, "Yes, that is exactly what I mean. And that is exactly what I use. Mother Earth can stand up and defend herself from the horrors man has reaped upon her. She just needs a little help."

"So are you in or out?" I asked, wanting to speed up this meeting.

"I'm out. You have the very wrong idea of making the people of Gotham pay. We have very different ideas on what to do and I will not be associated with the likes of you."

"Alrighty then. If you're not with us, then you're against us. Just remember that."

"I don't need _your_ help," Poison Ivy said as she turned on her heel and marched out of the warehouse.

I turned to Mel when she was gone and said, "I'd say that went well."

"Yeah, just swell," she replied sarcastically.

As we walked out of the building and to the car, I began to laugh. Mel looked at me puzzled. "And they call me crazy?!?! She's more than a little off her rocker, I'd say," I said, breaking down into laughter again. Mel grinned and began laughing too.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The ride back to the hideout after the failed meeting was just as quiet as the ride there. Instead of staring out the window, I watched The Joker who was tapping his fingers on the steering wheel as if along to some beat in his head because the radio wasn't on. He looked incredibly bored though as he stared out the windshield.

I decided to break the silence. "Err, could I ask you a question?"

"You just did," he replied. "But, yes, you can ask another one," he smiled as he took his eyes off the road to look at me.

"Thanks," I said before proceeding with my question. "What's your real name?"

"Huh?" The Joker replied, taken back by my question. Clearly it wasn't the one he was expecting me to ask.

"Your real name," I repeated, "You must have one. So what did your parents' name you?"

"The Joker."

"There's no way they named you The Joker. You had a name before this and I just want to know what it is."

"I don't remember."

"How can you not remember? You remember how you became who you are now. You've told me that story."

"Well, that's easy to remember because that is what directly made me _this_. I'm not going to forget the events and actions that turned me into the name everyone in Gotham fears," he explained.

I didn't have a comeback for that so I just waited in silence until he decided to answer my question. Finally, he spoke, "The boy that I was then doesn't exist anymore. Steve or Mike or William or whatever his name was is dead. It's The Joker now and everyone fears me."

"That's not funny," I replied.

"I'm not trying to be funny," he retorted. "I'm telling the truth. He was a weak-minded fool that couldn't handle the hardships this cruel world dealt him. He no longer exists though. When he died, a much stronger individual rose from his ashes to take his place in the world and his name is The Joker. And that is the only name of mine that is important to anybody."

"I don't believe you."

"Which part would that be, sweets?" he asked, leaning closer to me as he cocked his head to the side in curiosity.

"I don't think who you were in the past is actually nonexistent today. That boy is in there. He's just buried very deep under the makeup, the scars, the revenge, the anger, and the pain," I explained.

The Joker began laughing hysterically in his classic "yes I am a madman" laugh. I shivered as I felt the laugh raise the hairs on the back of my neck. When he stopped laughing, he looked at me once more and said, "Sorry, Mels, but you're wrong. That boy is dead…there's nothing left of him anywhere. I am all that remains, but I am not him."

He turned his eyes back to the road and didn't say another word to me. I didn't try to get him to talk to me. I just muttered under my breath, "I will find out who you are if it's the last thing I do."


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: I know this chapter is kinda short, but I needed it to set up a few things for the upcoming chapters. And I promise to write a longer chapter soon! For now, just bare with me...you guys are awesome for always reading. :)**

When we returned to home, I really wanted to just go to bed so I could plot how I was going to find out The Joker's real name. However, I figured he might get annoyed if I completely avoided him for the entire day, and in truth, I wasn't really pissed with him anymore. I was dealing with The Joker after all and nothing was ever normal with him. Granted, I still wish he'd be a little kinder and show love a little better, but I couldn't have it all, could I?

I went over to sit on the couch and turned on the TV. I was just channel surfing, not really finding anything worth watching, when I noticed something strange. I backed up to the news and saw that a woman calling herself Poison Ivy had crashed the annual Gotham City Rainforest Ball. Five men were dead, apparently from some kind of poison taken orally.

The Joker came over to me to see what was going on. He sat down next to me and stared, unblinking, at the TV screen in a sort of angered daze. "I still don't understand the poison business. It's man-made, so what's the point? At least gasoline is made from dead animals," he said, more to himself than to me.

I was still compelled to answer him though because I had an idea on it. "She's not using man-made toxins. She's using ones that naturally occur in nature. Seems that maybe she has them infused into herself somehow."

"Ok…how do you figure that?"

"Look, the pattern is only concentrated around their mouths as if they were given a fatal kiss," I said, pointing to the black-and-blue patterns covering the victim's lips and spreading slightly into his cheeks.

"Well that's just stupid then," The Joker muttered.

"How is that stupid? She can lure guys in with her looks and probably some kind of flowery fragrance too. Then she gets them to kiss her only to meet their doom within seconds. It's actual a rather subtle way to carry out her plan."

"Oh yeah, that's just pure genius at work right there," The Joker said sarcastically. "And what? Is she gonna start kissing women too?"

"I doubt it," I answered truthfully.

"Well, clearly her plan is flawed then. If you want to get revenge for destroying the planet, you'd have to punish everyone not just the men."

"True, but she seems to be a lot more concerned with the woman factor. She kept referring to it as 'Mother Earth' after all."

"Yeah, well, it's still stupid," The Joker said, turning off the TV. "Women can't repopulate the world on their own. But I don't suppose that's what she's after either. Let's let plants rule the world, brilliant," he said, rolling his eyes.

"Why are you getting so worked up? We won't have to worry with her. Everyone knows what she's doing and all, so it won't be long before Batman catches her," I said, gently touching his shoulder.

"I suppose you're right. I just don't respond well to competition," he said.

"I know, but don't worry, Gotham still fears us more," I said as I wrapped my arms around him to give him a hug.

He laughed and hugged me back. And it was a sincere hug too. Then he let go of me and backed out of my arms. "Well, goodnight," he said and headed off to his room.

"Night," I replied and headed off to mine.

I didn't actually sleep that night. Instead, I made plans on how I was going to figure out The Joker's real identity. I knew he had one, he could lie about it all he wanted but there was no way he was going to keep it a secret forever.

I thought over my options. I could always ask him again, but clearly he was unwilling to discuss this tidbit about his history. I also knew that pressing him for the information would not make him give it to me. If anything, that would only anger him and while I was his partner in crime, I was also disposable and I knew it. I didn't need to go giving him a reason to get rid of me.

That's finally when one name came to mind. The one person who probably did know The Joker's real name. I was so excited when I thought of him that I considered sneaking out to go talk to him tonight. But then I remembered the scenes on the news and figured he was probably busy taking care of Poison Ivy. I decided I would go and see him first thing in the morning. Hopefully, Bruce Wayne was not a late sleeper.


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Yay! Longer chapter just like I promised! haha. Enjoy guys! Oh, and please take the time to review quick....just makes my day when you do :)**

It was about 7 a.m. when I got up and started getting dressed. I was being as quiet as possible because I didn't want to disturb The Joker. I also didn't want him to question where I was going because I honestly hadn't thought up a convincing lie. That left me with the plan of leaving before he knew I was gone to avoid questioning.

I crept out to the kitchen and poured a bowl of cereal as quietly as I could. I ate as quickly as I could, constantly glancing up to see if he was going to find me. I dumped my dishes into the sink and raced back to my room to brush my teeth quick.

As I headed back out to leave, I grabbed my jacket and put it on. And then the voice I didn't want to hear now rang out behind me. "Seems like you're in a hurry, where are you going?"

I turned around, keeping my right hand on the doorknob, and looked into The Joker's dark eyes. I knew I looked guilty as I swallowed hard trying to think of something to say. "Uh, yeah, I just gotta run a couple errands."

"This early?"

"Uh, y-yes, sooner it gets done, the better," I laughed nervously. Then I opened the door and rushed out. I did call over my shoulder though, "I'll be back around lunchtime I suppose."

As I walked down the street rather quickly, I could feel his eyes on me. I knew he was watching me, probably wondering about my odd behavior. I didn't really care though. I was on a mission, even if it meant I had to associate with Batman. Hopefully, I would have my answer soon enough.

I arrived at Bruce's mansion (he rebuilt it after I destroyed it over a year ago) just before 8:00. I really hoped I wouldn't be waking him as I rang the doorbell. Alfred greeted me shortly after I rang the bell. It was almost like I was expected.

"Good morning, Alfred," I said pleasantly.

"Good morning, Miss Staples. Come in, come in," he said, moving aside to allow me to enter.

"Is Bruce here? Or even up yet?" I asked as I walked into the huge foyer.

"Yes, he is. Master Wayne has always been quite the early bird," Alfred said with a smile.

"Really?" I asked, surprised. "Even with his nightly expeditions?"

Alfred chuckled, "Oh yes." Then he went off to find Bruce for me. I stood in the foyer looking around at the beauty and magnificence of this place. I had been here before and I knew Bruce was very rich, but the grandeur of the place would never cease to amaze me.

That's when I noticed movement on the stairs out of the corner of my eye. I turned to watch Bruce Wayne descend the marble staircase, smiling at me. He walked over and gave me a hug. "So what brings you here this early?"

"I was actually wondering if you could help me with something."

"Something for yourself or for him?"

"Myself, but it's about him."

"Ahh," Bruce said understandingly. "Why don't we go to a more suitable location for this discussion?"

"Oh, uh, alright," I said awkwardly.

He smiled gently as he motioned me to follow him. I smiled back and followed, still looking in every direction as we walked through the halls.

Finally, we entered the study (although it could have been a study) and I stared in wonder at the hundreds of books lining the walls. I wandered over to take a seat. Bruce gently grabbed my elbow, "No, no, not here. Over _here_," he said, motioning to the opened bookcase that revealed a lift.

"Ohh," I said, realizing where he was taking me. We climbed into the lift and descended into darkness.

When the lift reached the bottom, Bruce guided me out into the dark. Except that as soon as we stepped into the dark, lights came on illuminating a large cavern, the Batcave. "Wow," I said breathlessly. "How did you ever find this place?"

"Well, part of it was used in the Underground Railroad and I rediscovered that when I was playing in the yard as a kid. I fell in and got attacked by bats. After my parents died and I came back, I went searching and found this," he explained, waving his arm to encompass the whole area.

"Wow," I said again. I couldn't think of another word.

"Of course, the technology stuff has been added since. It's kind of my hideout and research headquarters for everything dealing with Batman," Bruce said with a chuckle.

"Yeah, right," I said, still in half awe as I took in the scene. "So why bats?"

"I figured I would train my fear of them and then use it to create fear in others who play on fear to gain the upper hand."

"Makes sense," I said. Bruce just smiled.

"How many people know?"

"About me?"

"Yeah."

"Alfred and Mr. Fox. Rachel knew. And now you," Bruce replied.

"That's it?"

"The fewer people who know, the safer everyone is."

"You forgot, The Joker knows."

"No, Joker doesn't know. He suspects. There's a difference. He suspects Bruce Wayne to be the bat, but he doesn't know for sure. You didn't come here to relay information to him, did you?" Bruce asked as he eyed me suspiciously.

"No! And I'm not going to tell him either!"

"Good. He just has a theory like so many others. He's just happens to be right unlike most. I think Commissioner Gordon suspects me too."

"And you don't tell him?" I asked sounding skeptical.

"He's had two traitors in his unit already. You never know who else might be listening. It's best to just let him draw his own conclusions."

"Right, the fewer people who know, the safer everyone is," I repeated his words.

"Yes," he replied with a smile. "Now, enough about me. I thought you came for something else?"

"Oh, right. Since you are Batman, I was wondering how much you know about The Joker's past."

"In what context? Or what specifically are you looking for? Because I suspect that you know more about his history than anyone else," Bruce said with a sly smirk.

"I want to know his real name. The name he was given before he decided to call himself The Joker," I said, cutting to the chase.

Bruce looked puzzled. "Let me get this straight, you're asking _me_ what The Joker's real name is when _you_ are the one who got him to tell you how he really got those scars and whatever else he revealed to you."

"Well, yeah. I mean I asked him and he told me he didn't remember. And then he said it didn't matter because that boy is dead."

"And you don't believe him?"

"Hell no I don't believe him!" I exclaimed, becoming agitated.

"Calm down," Bruce said sweetly. "Why don't you believe him? He's proven that he's mad. He's mad, but smart. So who's to say he's not telling the truth?"

"I say he's not telling the truth! Because he's not. I can tell. He thinks it's funny and the matter is not one to laugh at."

"The Joker thinks everything is funny," Bruce reminded me.

"Look, I don't know _how_ I know, but I do know that he's lying. And I will find out what his real name is. Are you gonna help me or not?"

"I would love to help you, but I don't know what his real name is," Bruce said with a sadden look is his eyes.

I sighed, "Figures."

"But I do have an idea of where you could go to find out," he said.

"Really? Where?"

"Arkham."

"What? He was in there as The Joker. There's no way they got his real name out of him."

"Actually, that's where you're wrong," Bruce said.

"Oh, well then please enlighten me," I said sarcastically.

"He was in Arkham before I ever put him there."

"No way!" I exclaimed.

"Will you please not interrupt me? Let me finish, alright?" Bruce asked, halfway serious.

"Oh, yeah, sorry," I said.

Bruce just smiled and then continued, "Dr. Crane freed a bunch of inmates when he escaped. Eventually we caught Crane, but half the inmates he freed weren't recaptured by the police. The Joker was one of those. He started with his theatrics and leaving his calling card which is when he truly became The Joker and I took on the task of hunting him down. Now, I captured him twice…it was those two times in Arkham that he was Joker. But the first time, who knows what he was called."

"So you're saying he might have been in there the first time under his real name?"

"Yes, and they keep all of that on record. You could go down there and find out for yourself."

"Excellent! Thanks so much, Bruce!" I said, jumping up and giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.

He smiled and waved after me as I took off to see what I could find.

I heard him call after me, "Just be careful, Melanie! It is dangerous out there!"

I turned back and nodded with a wink. Then I was gone.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA," I laughed eerily as I watched the man I was approaching inch backward. He tripped over a chair which had me doubling over with laughter then.

I had him backed into a corner. He had nowhere to go. I got within six inches of his face and asked, "How ya holdin' up, _Doc_?" Then I began laughing again.

"What do you want?" he asked, trying to be confident but I could tell by the look on his face that he was scared for his life. _Which is exactly how I like it,_ I thought.

"I just thought I'd pay ya a visit, old buddy, old friend, old _pal_," I said innocently as I put one arm around Mr. Staples shoulder.

He shrugged my arm off and moved away from me. He continued to stand tall though as he stared me down. I grinned. He had some fight in him, just like his daughter and I liked that.

"Where is Melanie?" he asked.

"Oh, Mels, well, to tell you the truth, I don't know where she is right now!" I said with a grin and a small chuckle.

"Tell me where my daughter is! If you came here to visit me, I would expect you to have brought her with. You can't convince me that she wouldn't have wanted to come," he spat angrily.

"Ok, now an attitude like that is not going to get you anywhere with me. And to be honest, she doesn't know I'm here."

"Well then where is she? What did you do to her? If you so much as laid one of your filthy gloved hands on her in an inappropriate way, I will make you pay!"

I laughed at his threat. It was so hollow. There was nothing he could possibly do to me. "That's a good one. You gonna hurt me if she wanted it?" I mocked.

"You bastard!" he cried, making a lunged for me. I easily moved out of the way as he toppled to the floor. I began laughing uncontrollably.

"What did you do to her? I want to know!!" he screamed, standing up again. He shot me a look of pure anger and hatred as if he would love nothing more than to rip me to shreds. Not that he could do that, but he would definitely try.

"I didn't do anything to her. Cross my heart," I said, trying to keep the sarcasm out of my voice, but the situation was rather funny which made it difficult for me to sound convincing between the laughs.

His eyes narrowed as he continued to watch me as he waited for a better explanation. "Mel is doing great! She's madly in love with me and quite a wonderful woman," I smiled. "I'm not sure how much more you really expect me to tell you."

"You little –" he began, but was interrupted by the appearance of another lovely face.

"What's going on here?" Bruce Wayne asked.

"We're just talking," I said. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask the very same thing of you," Bruce replied calmly.

"Yeah, well I asked first which means you have to answer me first," I said, sounding very much like a five-year-old.

"I came here to check on Mr. Staples like I do every day just as I promised Melanie since her dad does have a concussion. Now what are you doing here, Joker?"

I was pissed. "I just came to say hello," I lied. Mr. Staples rolled his eyes and Bruce just stood there staring me down as calm as could be.

I wanted to scream, but I couldn't. I wanted to hit something, but I didn't. My blood was beginning to boil though. I stormed out of the house, determined that I would find Mel and when I did she had some serious explaining to do. As I left, I cackled, "Well, it was great to see ya Pops!" just to get under his skin. I slammed the door as hard as I could and got in my car and peeled out of the driveway.


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: So I'm on a roll with updating this time around as you guys can see. haha. It's what happens when you're on break. Anyway, this chapter is a bit shorter than I would've liked but I found it alot harder to write than I originally thought it would be. So did the best I could. Hope you guys still like it...**

When I returned, I noticed The Joker's car in the garage, but the house was completely dark. I entered slowly into the darkness that felt like night; this effect was heightened by the storm clouds darkening the sky.

I thought I heard something move in the dark. "J-Joker?" I called out nervously. I was answered with silence. Something just wasn't right. Then I felt a fist connect hard with my face, causing me to lose my balance. I hit the floor, only to feel another fist meet my face. And my world went black.

I awoke what felt like hours, or maybe even days, later to a throbbing pain in my jaw on my right side. I groaned as I regained consciousness. I could hear laughing, maniac laughing, in the distance which quickly grew closer. As my vision came into focus, I could see The Joker peering down at me with a psychotic look on his face. _What the hell is going on?_ I thought.

"Get up," he commanded.

I slowly sat up and began to get to my feet. Apparently, I wasn't moving fast enough though. "I said get up!" he shouted, grabbing my arm and dragging me to my feet as he slammed me into the wall.

I kept myself from falling down as I turned to face him. "What the hell are you doing?"

He licked his lips and laughed, "You know, it's not really a question of what I'm doing. It's more a question of what you are doing."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" I said, starting to lose my patience very quickly.

"You spending so much time with Brucie. How is dear Brucie? You think I'm actually going to let you fall for him?"

"I don't spend time with Bruce Wayne," I lied. And I paid for that. He struck me across the cheek.

"Liar. I know full and well that you've seen him. Ask him to look after your daddy, didn't you?"

"I ran into him in the hospital. And he offered which I agreed to because I knew we'd be too busy for me to keep dropping in," I attempted to explain.

"That's not how ol' Brucie tells it," he said, licking his lips again. "You have NO right to associate with him. He is the enemy, why would you befriend _that_?"

I didn't answer. I just glared at him. He didn't understand. I had no explanation. I wasn't befriending Bruce, but there was no way to convince him of that. Hell, I couldn't even convince myself of that to be honest.

He pulled out his knife and came after me, pinning me to the wall. "I know you're trying to leave me for him. But you know what? I'm not gonna let that happen. Know why?" I shook my head. "Because I'm the one who made you who you are. You are mine; you belong to no one but me and I'm not gonna let you forget it. No more Bruce Wayne. No more forgetting me," he laughed as slowly placed the knife to my lips.

I knew what was coming. He was about to carve my face. Make me unattractive to everyone but him. Make it impossible for me to forget that I was _his_. I began to cry. I didn't need him to give me any sort of reminders. I loved him. Didn't he see that?

"Oh, shh. It's alright, Mels, shh," he purred as he gently brushed away my tears that continued to fall with his left hand. "I'm just making sure everyone else knows you are mine…and only mine."

"No, please don't. They already know that I'm yours. I love you and no one else. I love you, Jack!" I cried, trying to keep him from making me look like him as the tears continued to fall down my face.

He paused and looked at me puzzled. He slowly removed the knife from my mouth. Silent tears continued to fall down my face as I stared at him in confusion. _Was it possible that just a simple name had made him change his mind?_ I wondered.

Finally, he spoke, "What did you call me?"

"Jack," I replied in a soft whisper. "It's your real name. I know your whole name, Jack Christopher Napier."

"How? How did you find it out?" he asked, not denying that I was right. Because I knew I was right and he knew it too. I may have been right, but I could see the flash of anger flash across his face as he stared me down, trying to read me.

"I figured it out all on my own. Just took a trip to Arkham. You were there before you took on the name The Joker," I explained.

"What else did you find out?" he asked, this time sounding angry instead of defeated.

"I know your sister is the one you brought you to Arkham to –"

He cut me off. "My little sister," he scoffed. "Let me tell you a little something about her. Cynthia didn't really do it out of love. She was a drug addict, probably killed herself by now. Yet I'm the one who needed help. I was the _crazy_ one," he said, rolling his eyes.

It was my turn to look puzzled. "After the horrible experiences you dealt with from your father, it's clear that she was just trying to look out for you."

"Yeah, sure, call it that if you want. But guess what? They never found anything wrong with me in Arkham."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She continued to sit quietly and survey me, trying to figure some things out. Like why I was so bitter toward my sister for taking me in to the loony bin when I didn't belong there. I laughed at the thought of that one. She looked even more nervous at my sudden laughter.

I grinned back and returned to my story. "Oh sure, I was traumatized as a kid. That was a given and that was all they got. I had no paranoia, no schizophrenia, no split personality. Hell, I didn't even have OCD. I wasn't bipolar. I was totally normal…at least in the head."

"I don't understand," she said. "You're well, kinda psycho."

I laughed. "Mels, haven't you learned that terms like that are just relative?"

"Well, I guess, but still. You definitely have a couple screws loose because normal people don't run around blowing shit up and threatening to put permanent smiles on others' faces."

I laughed again. I couldn't help it. She was just too funny. Besides, I didn't care if I was making a case for being mentally unstable; I knew the truth. I knew I wasn't.

Once I regained control of myself, I attempted to explain it to her once more. "See, Mels, these civilized sane people are quick to label anyone who seems different. It's like those children who can do complex math in their heads in seconds. They're not insane, but they're labeled and set aside as 'different.' Hell, they're often referred to as 'insanely brilliant,' so in a way they are crazy. I'm like them. I'm just ahead of the curve!" I exclaimed the last part in triumph.

Mel however wasn't so easily sold on the idea. "You realize your theory is actually a bit nuts."

"There you go again with terminology that leans toward insanity! But I'm not, I'm NOT crazy!" I emphasized the word "not." I licked my lips and shook my head, making my hair go wild around my face. Mel rolled her eyes and gave me a look as to say "Yeah, right, not crazy? How about you look in the mirror?"

I growled in anger at the meaning beneath her "innocent" look. "Why does no one ever understand that I'm not insane? The professionals at Arkham can't find any sort of psychological condition that I suffer. Means I'm normal! I just have a different view on life and how it should be lived!" I shouted, becoming extremely agitated very quickly.

"Calm down, just calm down, please," Mel said as gently as she could, but her voice quivered. I knew she was afraid of what I might do.

"No! Not until someone explains to me why if you're different, you're insane, you're crazy. Normal people lose their minds too. You have to know insanity to know sanity. Everybody has both within them, so it's stupid to label people like that."

"Yes, yes it is stupid. But people are naïve creatures. They're predictable. They don't understand different and they fear change. Labeling helps them cope, it helps them feel like they have some control in their lives and understanding of the world when really they're clueless," Mel said, trying to keep her voice level and as calm as possible. I could tell that while she was wise to the way people operated (probably from her father), she was still one of those people and she was beginning to fear me.

"I suppose you're right, sweets," I said with a sigh. I walked over and gave her a half a hug. She hugged me back.

"I hate it for you, but it's just human nature," she whispered in my ear. "Some can learn to cope with it, like me. Others can't."

"Yeah, well, I'm gonna give them a lesson in it," I said with an evil grin and a haughty laugh.


	12. Chapter 12

Upon breaking our embrace, I quickly bade The Joker good night and took off to my room. His little speech confused me. How was he _not_ crazy? I mean what else could you possible call it? I tried to understand him, but I was beginning to have my doubts. I did my best to not show it though.

As I showered, letting the hot water calm my nerves, I began to wonder about The Joker's sister. I recalled his words, 'Cynthia didn't really do it out of love.' Somehow, I couldn't believe that. I highly doubted that his sister, who hadn't suffered at their father's hand like he had, was as cold-hearted and cruel as him.

Then I remembered him telling me, 'She was a drug addict, probably killed herself by now.' I wanted to know. I believed him when he called her a drug addict. I could see the pain flash briefly in his eyes when he spat the words. I just didn't believe she was dead. Somehow, it seemed like he would rather convince himself of such an ending to his sister than live with the hurt that he couldn't help her.

At that moment, I realized what I had to do if I wanted to know. I knew where I had to go. I quickly got out of the shower and put on clothes instead of pajamas. I cracked my door open and peered down the hall to Joker's room. Seeing the door shut, I assumed he had gone to bed as well. I quietly walked by his room, pausing to see if I was right. I heard light snores coming from inside, so I moved on.

As I opened the front door as slowly and quietly as possible, I glanced back over my shoulder to be certain that he wasn't watching me. If he caught me "sneaking out" at night, I was probably guaranteed to have my face cut up like his. I shivered at such a horrid thought as I left the house and closed the door gently behind me.

I took off down the road as fast as I could. I wanted to get as far away from the house as possible in case he hadn't really been asleep and quickly realized that I wasn't there. I kept looking over my shoulder the entire time to be sure I wasn't being followed. I felt like I was being watched, but every time I turned around that was following me was darkness. _I'm just being paranoid. I need to just calm down,_ I thought.

I couldn't calm down though. I was way too jumpy for when I reached Wayne Manor, I about jumped out of my skin when I heard Batman's deep gravely voice behind me. "What are you doing here?"

I screamed and turned around so fast I nearly fell over. Batman grabbed my arm to keep me from falling to the ground. "Thanks," I muttered when I regained my ability to talk.

"I didn't mean to scare you," he apologized.

"I need your help," I said.

A smile twitched at the corners of his mouth. He nodded once and walked toward the secret entrance of the Batcave. I followed, casting one last backward glance over my shoulder.

Once we were in the cave, Batman said, "So how may I be of service?"

"Well, I went to Arkham and I found out The Joker's real name," I began.

"Really? So what's the problem then?"

"Well, I…" I paused. "Bruce, could you take off your mask?"

"What?" he asked, confused on what this had to do with anything.

"It's just so awkward because I know it's you under there, but then it's not you," I tried to explain.

Bruce rolled his eyes and removed the mask. "Happy now?"

"Sure," I grinned.

"Now what is it that you need?"

"Well, I want to know about his sister."

"He has a sister?" Bruce asked, seeming surprised.

"Yeah, she took him in to Arkham. But apparently she was, or is, a drug addict. I just want to know if she's alive or not."

"Ok…but why? What good will that do you?" Bruce asked confused.

"I don't know. I guess I'm just curious…like a cat," I said with a smirk.

"Ha ha," Bruce said dryly. "Alright, I'll help you, but don't expect too much. And you'll have to give me a day or two."

"No problem. I'll just drop by again or meet you in the park. If he finds out that I really am seeing you this much, it will not be good."

"He suspects something?"

"He saw you at my dad's. Apparently he figures that I'm befriending the enemy."

Bruce laughed. "And he doesn't like that I suppose."

"Not at all! He nearly made me look like him so I would remember and you would know who I belong to," I said, tears beginning to stream down my face at the thought of ending up with horrid scars like his.

Bruce's face darkened in anger. He came over and pulled me into a tight hug. "It's ok, Melanie. He didn't do that and I'm not going to let him hurt you."

"The worst part is that I sort of love him. I mean not as much as I used to, but I still do. I just don't know what to do. I feel this connection to him that keeps me there, but I'm starting to fear him."

"Well, glad to see you're coming to your senses at least," Bruce joked. "The man is homicidal…any normal person would be terrified."

I lightly hit Bruce on the chest. "Not funny," I said, trying to look hurt. Bruce didn't say a word as he tried not to smile. Neither one of us were very good at it though because within a couple seconds we were both laughing.

Bruce spoke finally once we both had our laughter under control. "You know I'm here for you whenever you need me, right?"

"Yeah, I appreciate it," I said.

"Alright," he said, seeming satisfied with my response. "I suppose you should be heading back. Wouldn't want to keep The Joker waiting."

"Yeah. Just let me know what you find out about Cynthia Napier, ok?"

"Will do."

"And say hi to my dad next time you see him."

"I can do that one too," he said with a smile as he put his mask back on.

I left the cave and began the long walk back to home. I felt a lot calmer after my talk with Bruce, so I wasn't looking over my shoulder every two seconds. Of course, if Batman was following me, it didn't bother me in the slightest.

When I was about halfway back to The Joker's, the feeling that I was being watched began to creep up on me once more. I shivered as I cast a glance over my shoulder. I didn't see anything, but sped up anyways.

Suddenly, I heard a rustle in the bushes beside me. I turned quickly, but didn't see anything. _I really am paranoid,_ I thought.

I walked a few more feet before I heard the rustling sound again. I turned once more to study the bushes, and I could have sworn that I saw a figure move. I once again began to quicken my pace.

Very suddenly though, a figure jumped out from the bushes in front of me blocking my path. I leapt back in surprise and fear as the figure removed its cloak. I then found myself face to face with Poison Ivy.

"You scare pretty easily for being The Joker's right hand," she said with a chuckle.

I was breathing hard as I spat, "What do you want?"

"Oh, I don't really _want_ anything. I just find it interesting running into you at this hour of the night…_alone_."

"Have you been following me?"

"Maybe. Seems to me like you're a rather conflicted girl."

"Conflicted?" I asked.

"Well, you seem so attached to The Joker, yet you keep running off to visit Bruce Wayne. To me, it seems like you can't decide which guy you like more so you figure you can have both."

"It's not like that," I growled, balling my hands into fists.

"It's pretty clever really. You get the best of both worlds then I suppose. You get the daredevil bad guy with The Joker. Although, he's definitely a bit crazy, probably spices things up a bit though," she said, more as if she was talking to herself rather than me. "Then you get the rich playboy who I bet buys you anything you want just to keep his girl happy."

"Ivy, it's not like that. I don't know you are to tell me how to live my life but you definitely have the wrong idea on everything."

"Alright, hon, you keep telling yourself that if you like. But you'd better make a decision fast because I wouldn't want to go making The Joker mad. Especially knowing that pretty boy won't be able to save you."

She was really beginning to piss me off and it was all I could do to keep myself from punching her as hard as I possibly could. She smiled and giggled as she looked at the anger building up on my face. "What are you gonna do to me?" she mocked.

I pushed her back as hard as I could, and she toppled to the ground. Then I stormed past her and took off running.

I ran the entire rest of the way. I was panting by the time I slowly opened the door and quickly tip-toed to my bedroom. I still heard snores coming from Joker's room as I passed which made me breath a sigh of relief.

I quickly put on my pajama's throwing my clothes to the floor and climbed into bed. I pulled the covers tightly around me as I tried to fall asleep with racing heart.

**AN: Ok, so it's back to school once more so my updates probably won't be as frequent as they have been lately, but do bear with me. HUGE thanks to Ossiana of the B.P.R.D. and Hushabye for ALWAYS reviewing! Of course, I know they're not the only two who read this story, so could the rest of you take like 2 seconds and hit that little button right below this and shoot me a review, please??? It would totally make my day if you did!!! :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: Thanks for the reviews guys! I really do appreciate it and it really does brighten my day. Anyway, here's the next installment and I'll do my best to get another one up ASAP even with school starting up once more. Enjoy!**

_The Joker was angry with me. No angry was an understatement, he was livid. 100% pissed. And he was about to make me pay. He grabbed me roughly by my long hair and began to drag me to the balcony. I kicked and screamed, clawing at his wrist trying to get him to let go, but he was holding me too tightly. I started to cry and beg, "I love you, why would you do this to me? My heart belongs only to you."_

_"Liar!" he spat. Suddenly, he came to a halt and looked over his shoulder. He began to laugh, "Come to save you beloved?" I looked over to see Batman marching in an agitated fury toward us. He wasn't one to kill somebody, but it definitely looked like he wanted to. "Help me!!!!" I screamed out, biting my tongue to keep from screaming out "Bruce."_

_"I'll save you Melanie, don't worry, just stay calm," he said as gently as he could in his gravely voice. I smiled graciously at him as the tears still poured down my face. He turned to The Joker and growled, "Let her go!" _

_The Joker cackled, "You know, we're not really in the best location for me to do that yet." Then he continued to drag me out to the balcony. He positioned me so I was leaning over the edge, the only thing keeping me from falling was his grip on my wrist. He pointed a gun at Batman to keep him far enough away. "Would you like to say some final words, Mels?" he asked me._

_"You are a monster!" I screamed in his face. Then looking at Batman, I said, "Do something!!!! Please!"_

_The Joker slapped my face at my remark, but turned to Batman, "So what are you gonna do, hmm?" _

_"Drop her," he growled._

_"Really, you need to learn about better word choices," he said with an evil grin as he let go of my wrist. I felt myself falling through the air. I saw Batman plunging himself off the balcony trying to reach me before I went splat. The Joker cackled above us, "Adios Mels! Was great knowing ya!!!"_

_Batman reached me with about seven feet left to fall through the air. He secured me tightly to his chest, preparing himself to take the brunt of the damage when we hit the ground. I sobbed heavily into his chest, figuring we were still going to die. He just held me tighter to him. _

_Suddenly we slammed into a slightly softer ground than I had expected. We broke apart at the impact and that's when the smell hit me. We had landed in a dumpster. Batman turned to look at me as he asked, "Are you ok?"_

_"Well, this wasn't exactly my idea of a romantic evening," I said, pulling an old banana peel off my face. _

_"Allow me to make it up to you," he said, removing his mask as he leaned in to kiss me. I smiled as our lips connected. Once we broke apart, he asked, "Is that better?"_

_"I suppose it will do," I grinned. _

_"Well, then hopefully you're ready for my next question," he said with a secretive smile._

_"Oh yeah? Well, what is it?" I asked, ineffectively hiding my curiosity and excitement. _

_"Just bare in mind this is not really how I planned it," he said, motioning to our smelly surroundings. I nodded in understanding as he pulled a tiny box off his utility belt. He carefully opened it and showed me the sparkling diamond ring within as he said, "Melanie, I love you more than you'll ever know, but I'll do my best to show you every way I can from here on out. Will you marry me?"_

_I stared at him in wide-eyed surprise. I opened my mouth, attempting to answer him, but I couldn't form words. Nothing would come out. My brain was screaming "Hell yes!!!" but I was unable to say it. He sat patiently awaiting my answer, holding on to my every attempt at speaking. I could see doubt and worry inching its way into his face. His eyes seemed to swim in pain the longer I didn't answer. _

_I tried once more to speak, but still all that I could do was squeal, which was not an answer. So, I calmly took the ring out of its box and placed it on my left ring finger, then I threw myself into his arms and kissed him as hard as I could._

I awoke from my dream with a huge smile on my face. I glanced down at my left hand, but didn't find a ring. I frowned. It really had only been a dream. A dream that I sadly wished would be true. I frowned again at that thought because I was with The Joker and I shouldn't be thinking like that about Bruce Wayne. There was just something about him though that made me feel so safe and cared about. And I couldn't deny that I liked that feeling…a lot.

I sighed as I got up and began to dress. Poison Ivy was right. I was conflicted. And if I didn't get this all figured out in my life soon, I'd drive myself to insanity trying to pick somebody.

I found The Joker in the kitchen at the table reading the newspaper. He looked up and smiled when I entered. "Have a good night's sleep?" he asked.

"Sure did," I said, heading to grab a bowl for my cereal.

"That's good," he said. "All pleasant dreams?"

"Yeah," I said, feeling my face blush. I tried to hide it with a big smile, but I was certain I looked guilty as I walked over to the fridge to get the milk.

"Couldn't stop thinking about Bruce," The Joker said.

I spun around to face him feeling my face turn hot again as I blushed. "Huh? What?" I asked confused.

The Joker looked up at me, puzzled. "I said could you pass me the juice," he repeated.

"Oh," I breathed out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. "Sure," I said, grabbing the orange juice and bringing it to him. _I'm definitely paranoid._

He smiled up at me with a sick and twisted smile of happiness as he took the carton from my hands. "Thank you," he purred.

"No problem," I said, returning to pour the milk on my cereal. I pinched myself as hard as I could, but nothing changed. Clearly I wasn't in a dream again. In which case, I wondered, _what the hell is with him this morning?_

Lost in my thoughts as I ate my cereal sitting on one of the bar stools at the counter, I didn't hear him come up behind me. He gently turned my stool around so I was facing him and he passionately planted his lips on mine. My eyes widened in shock and confusion as I attempted to swallow my last spoonful of cereal as his tongue tried to snake its way into my mouth. _Really what the hell is going on here? This has got to be a dream._

Finally, he pulled away. He just stared into my eyes as if trying to read my mind and I stared back into his, attempting the same. "Do you not want me?" he asked with a look of hurt crossing his face. I figured he was faking it though.

"Uhh," I started. Honestly, I wasn't sure how to answer that. A small part of me did want him I suppose, but most of me really didn't. Of course, I really didn't think it would be a good idea to say that. "Well, I'm trying to eat here and you kinda surprised me," I covered, figuring that answer wouldn't make him mad in any way.

"Oh, sorry," he apologized. "I thought you heard me come up behind you."

"I was just kinda lost in my thoughts I guess," I explained, but didn't elaborate on what my thoughts were.

"Well, you see it coming this time," he said, just before pulling me into another loving kiss. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me from the stool to stand with him. I wrapped my arms around him because I felt awkward just standing there with them at my side.

His tongue once more danced around my lips, trying to get them to part. I resisted. I didn't want to taste him inside my mouth. Something was very wrong about this entire situation, and I wouldn't be drawn into it when I knew the ending might be bad.

Of course, he pressed his lips harder against mine and his tongue became more frantic in finding a way inside. I could tell that he was beginning to get aggravated with my noncompliance. He slowly danced his fingers up my back and gently grabbed ahold of my hair. Then he pulled as hard as he could. "Ah," I cried out in surprise and pain. He laughed as his tongue darted into my mouth.

I couldn't stand it any longer. I was certain that I was about to piss him off, but I no longer wanted anything to do with him in any sort of romantic way right now. I needed to figure some things out before I started selecting guys. I pushed him back as hard as I could, throwing him off of me.

He looked at me in utter confusion. I glared at him in return. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" I demanded.

"I thought you loved me," he said.

I rolled my eyes. "That's never made you want to show any sort of affection toward me in the past, so what's so different now?"

"I…" The Joker began, but then stopped as if he didn't know how to answer my question.

"I'm waiting," I said, beginning to get impatient with him. "And you'd better have a damn good reason for this whole thing too," I added as I stared daggers at him waiting for a response.


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: Ok, so I just couldn't leave you guys hanging like that...haha. Here's the next chapter already and I'll work toward getting another one or two up sometime during the week...**

"I…I don't know," he said, casting his gaze to the floor.

"What do you mean you don't know? You have to know. There has to be a reason for it," I said, or nearly yelled.

"I do things without reason. I do them on a whim. You know that better than anybody. Why can't you just accept that this was just another whim?"

"Because I don't think it was. And I want a reason for it!" I spat.

"You're not gonna get a reason because there is no reason. I did it _without_ reason, _without _thought, _without _desire. I just did it, ok?!?" he shouted back.

I groaned in frustration. I hated it when he did this crap. Why couldn't he just admit he had feelings for me if he actually did? No, instead he had to play these damn head games with my heart. I swear he gets some kind of kick out of toying with my emotions and that annoys me to no end.

"You have to stop that. Not everything in life can be done without a reason. Things don't work that way!"

"Well they work that way for me," he said stubbornly.

"Life is not that simple!" I cried throwing my hands up in the air. "There will come a time when you will have done something for a reason and this is probably one of those times!"

He sat quiet for a moment, just watching me. I stared back, still annoyed with him and his unwillingness to cooperate. Finally he spoke, "What do you want me to lie to you when there really was no reason for me doing it?"

"No I don't want you to lie to make me feel better. I want you to search inside and realize there was a reason for it, _Jack_."

He remained silent and broke eye contact with me. He began to stare at his feet as if he was a young child being reprimanded by his mother. I crossed my arms and leaned against the counter, waiting for him to come up with something.

After what seemed like twenty minutes, but was really only more like five, The Joker looked up at me. He said, "I'm not sure, but I guess it just sort of seemed like the thing to do at the time. I guess kind of as a 'thanks' for trying to know me better even if I'd rather never remember certain items from my past. I guess it's nice to know you care and I suppose I was just trying to show you something similar." After he spoke, he looked down again, unable to meet my eyes.

My jaw dropped at his words and my heart broke as those words sunk in. I couldn't believe that he could manage such compassion. But seeing that he could made me want him once more. I was his and he was mine. I didn't need anyone else.

I walked over to him and put my arm around him. "It's ok," I said, unsure if I was comforting him or myself as tears began to spill from my eyes. He still wouldn't look at me, so I bent my head so I could make him look at me. I smiled at him, but he didn't return it.

"Really, it's alright," I said. Then I leaned up and gave him a kiss. I didn't keep our lips together as long as he had, but long enough that he knew I cared. After I pulled out of the kiss, I raised my head once again. I wrapped my arms around his neck and whispered in his ear, "See, I care too. And it's all gonna be just fine."

He tilted his head so he could sort of see me. I could feel his hot breath across my face as he spoke, "Thanks, Mels. And I mean it, thank you."

I smiled, "No problem, it's what I'm here for after all."

"Not really, but I guess it works," he said, returning my smile.

Standing up, I asked, "So what are we doing today?"

"I don't know. I suppose we should find something to get us back in the news since Poison Ivy is the hot topic right now," he said bitterly.

"Well then, let's do it!" I said eagerly.

"Alright," he said standing up to face me, "what's the plan, sweets?"

I smirked, "I've got the _perfect_ plan, don't worry."

"You don't say…what is this so-called 'perfect plan,' hmm?"

"Simple. We are going to kill a man that just happens to have the same name as Mayor Anthony Garcia to put a fear in the public and the mayor for his life. And then we will actually make things difficult for Commissioner Gordon," I said with an evil grin.

The Joker shrugged, "Alright, I like it. But what do you mean by 'make things difficult' for Gordon?"

"Get to his family. Not actually hurt them, but kidnap them and leave him alone and vulnerable."

"That works," he laughed. "Honestly though, it's too bad Brucie doesn't have anybody because I would so love to mess with him for a change."

I gulped and felt my cheeks beginning to burn. I quickly turned away from The Joker, praying he didn't notice my reaction to him mentioning Bruce.

Unfortunately, I was not that lucky because The Joker said, "Hey, what's the matter with you all of a sudden?"

I turned back, hoping my face wasn't still bright red, and said, "Oh, nothing. It is a shame that he doesn't have anyone other than Alfred."

"Alfred?" he questioned, ignoring that I seemed to know quite a bit about Mr. Wayne's personal life.

"His butler and sort of the fatherly figure I suppose after his parents died," I explained.

"Oh," The Joker said. "He could work, you know. Not quite the level of if it were someone he _loved_ but still not a complete loss."

"No!" I exclaimed before I even realized the word cam out of my mouth. "We're not going to kidnap Alfred, that's just incredibly mean and…" I trailed off as The Joker glared at me.

"So you say you love me and you say you understand me, yet you've still got a bit of a soft spot for ol' Bruce Wayne, hmm?" he mocked as his right hand dived into his jacket pocket to find his knife.

"No, it's not like that," I said, shaking my head.

"Oh, it's not like that, huh? Then why do you have such a problem with causing him pain?" he asked, pulling the knife from his pocket. "I thought we had taken care of this issue," he said as he flicked the blade out.

"We did!" I cried. "I don't have a problem causing him pain," I said. I couldn't use his name though because I was lying through my teeth and if I would've said his name, I was certain The Joker would've seen right through me if he didn't already.

"Oh really? Then what is the problem, Mels?"

"Well, uhh, it's just Alfred is rather old and it likely wouldn't be easy to _not_ harm him which I don't think is fair to Alfred when he's never really done anything to anybody," I blurted out, hoping that my quick thinking was actually a decent reasoning.

"Hmm," The Joker said, thinking over my words for a moment. "I suppose you bring up a valid point," he said, retracting the blade on the knife and placing it back in his pocket. "Guess we'll just leave him out of this and follow your plan then."

I let out a sigh of relief and forced a smile, "Alright, then let's get a move on. The sooner we do something, the sooner we win the headlines again."

"True," he said. "Rather unfortunate though that we have to leave Brucie alone," he muttered under his breath, more to himself than to me.


	15. Chapter 15

**AN: Sorry it's taken awhile to get another one up! Back to school means not as much time to update. So I did my best to make it up to you with a longer chapter :) Anyway, hope you enjoy and take a second to review if you don't mind! **

The Joker sped through the streets of Gotham like he was in a high-speed chase. Of course, there were no cops chasing us, but he was driving near 100 mph and swerving all over the road, laughing as he turned up the radio.

I had my teeth gritted and my hands clamped to the seat, my nails digging indentations into the leather. I was praying for my life and scared to death. I don't think I even really registered the song playing on the radio until The Joker began to hum along. That's when I realized he was singing "I Don't Care" by Apocalyptica.

He gave me a maniacal look as he rammed the steering wheel to the left and joined in the chorus of the song, "If you were dead or still alive, I don't care, I don't care. Just go and leave this all behind Cause I swear I don't care."

I gulped as the words rang through the car from the blaring radio and The Joker's lips. _How fitting,_ I thought, _he doesn't even care if I live or die. He doesn't give a shit about me._ For some reason, I got the feeling that he was actually singing those words directly to me as if trying to send me a message. The words cut me like a knife. I forced myself to think of other things to ignore the words.

When he slammed the car into park in front of an apartment complex, I opened my door and hopped out before he even cut the engine. I just wanted out of there. I took a deep breath and said a silent thanks for allowing me to survive that car ride. _How did he ever pass his driving test in the first place?_ I wondered.

I heard his footsteps come up behind me. I could feel his hot breath on my cheek as he leaned over and spoke into my ear, "Ready to do this?" as his hand brushed across my waistline.

"Yeah," I said, quickly moving away from him and toward the stairs. I took off up them two at a time with him closely following me.

I didn't even wait for his command when I reached my destination, Apartment 412. I simply withdrew the small pistol that I brought with me for tonight. Then I burst through the door with a forceful kick, surprising the man who was there watching some movie on TV.

The man looked up at me, confused and then immediately terrified when he saw me raise my pistol. I didn't hesitate for a second, just calmly placed two bullets through his skull. The man's body slumped back into his chair, blood running down his face. I just stared at the lifeless body.

I felt The Joker brush past me as he laughed like a madman. He walked over to the body and pulled out his knife. He tilted the man's head back to allow him easy access to his mouth. The Joker calmly carved the lifeless "scared to death" look into a creepy clown-like grin. Then The Joker placed a Joker card in the man's shirt pocket and threw some white makeup across his face. He topped it off by adding the red across the man's stiff lips.

I stood at the doorway nervously looking around and captivated by The Joker's ritual. I really wanted to find a way to get out of here, but didn't really see a feasible way out until he was done. As soon as he stood up and took a step back to admire his work, I walked out of the apartment, carrying the pistol limply at my side.

I returned to the car closely followed by a truly "happy" Joker. I however did not share his enthusiasm. Something just didn't feel right about the whole deal. Sure, I had gotten used to killing people, but I suspected that it was something with The Joker that had me uneasy.

The return drive was completely silent between us. He didn't say a word, just cranked up the radio as if to discourage me from saying anything, as if I would have. Instead I stared out the window trying to figure things out, my right hand still clutching the pistol. That's when my cell phone vibrated once telling me that I had a text message. I jumped a bit, but carefully removed the phone from my pocket.

I cast a glance at The Joker, but he wasn't paying attention to me. He was too busy watching the road and drumming on the steering wheel to the beat of the song on the radio. I looked down to see that I had gotten a text from Bruce. "I've got the info you wanted. Meet me ASAP at my home," it read.

I typed back, "Will do…soon as I can get away from him when we get home." Then I quickly flipped my phone shut and put it away before The Joker would notice and question me.

As soon as we pulled into the garage, I hopped out, but didn't go inside. Instead I walked out into the front yard and sat down in the cool grass beneath the stars. The Joker came up next to me, "What the hell are you doing?" he asked as he stood above me.

I looked up, with the pistol laying in the grass beside me, and said, "Just enjoying the night air. Got a problem with that?"

His eyes narrowed as he said, "Not unless that would involve seeing someone."

"Get over it," I spat. "What I do with my time is none of your business anyways."

"That's where you're wrong, my dear. Everything you do is my business because you belong to me. And you'd best not be forgetting that," he said with a wink as he turned and stalked away from me.

I rolled my eyes as I cursed him under my breath. I had a feeling he was watching me from one of the windows, but I didn't really care. He couldn't do much more to break me than he already had managed to do. So I stood up and headed down the street, headed to the one place that I felt remotely comfortable anymore.

I reached the gates of Wayne Manor within ten minutes. I was slightly out of breath from running the whole way, but immediately felt a warmth and comfort as I passed through the cold steel gates into the darkened grounds.

I smiled as I saw Bruce Wayne approaching me with open arms. I walked quickly toward him and threw myself into his arms. The pistol dropped from my hand and landed in the dirt as I let loose and began to sob into Bruce's chest.

He held me tighter to his body and gently rubbed his hands on my back. He didn't speak though which allowed me to just have my moment. He knew he'd get answers from me soon enough. I did feel him shuffle though and I knew it was so he could see what I had dropped.

Finally after a couple minutes, I backed out of his arms, wiping the still falling tears from my eyes. Bruce bent down and picked up the pistol. He held out his hand, which I took, as we walked toward the mansion.

Once inside, he led me to one of the sitting rooms off the main foyer. He sat me down in front of the lit fireplace to warm up as he sat down on the floor next to me, leaning his back against the coffee table. I leaned my head on his shoulder, staring into the burning embers and logs.

"So what happened?" he asked gently.

"I let him get the best of me once again," I muttered, ashamed.

"Did he hurt you?"

"No. I was just stupid and pretty much hurt myself."

"Talk to me, please. Just give me the details so I don't have to guess and imagine the worst."

I sighed, "Alright. Well, we went to kill someone and kind of send a threat to the mayor. Anyway, on the way there he actually played the radio and started singing along to 'I Don't Care' by Apocalyptica and I got this really strange feeling that he was singing those words to me. Like he was trying to send a message or something…" I drifted off as I began to cry again.

Bruce wrapped his arm around me, pulling me close to him. My head rested against his chest now as he carefully massaged my right arm, squeezing it lightly every now and then to reassure my waning confidence.

I continued, "And then when we got there, he acted like nothing had happened. He actually seemed to almost hit on me the way he ran his hand down my back. So I rushed away, burst through the proper door and shot the guy without hesitation. Then I watched The Joker enjoy himself as he finished up and then we left."

"Ok, well it is Joker we're dealing with, so you just never can tell with him. I wouldn't worry about it too much. He probably doesn't even realize what he was doing," Bruce comforted me; even though I knew he hated saying words to stick up for The Joker.

"I don't know, Bruce. I just feel so conflicted and I don't know what to do."

"What do you mean?" he asked, though I could tell by the way his breathing hitched that he probably already knew.

"Well, to be honest I think I'm taking a liking to you. You've been such a great friend to me when I probably don't deserve one for what I've done over the last couple of years. And I know that The Joker is bad for me, but there's just something about him that draws me to him. Maybe it's that he's the first one to really understand or not care that I'm a bit different. I really don't know and I don't know what to do anymore," I began to ramble as tears drifted down my face once more.

Bruce one-armed hugged me tightly to his chest. "I think I know what you mean. And I can relate because I'm also developing a liking for you. Or I might be, you are kinda cute in your own way you know," he said with a smile.

I smiled back at him, once again wiping the tears from my eyes. "Gosh, I'm such an emotional roller coaster around you! I could see where you wouldn't want to get too close," I teased.

"Nah, a few tears don't scare me. Come on, I'm a lot deeper than the shallow billionaire they make me out to be," he retorted.

"Yeah, maybe," I said with a grin. "Anyway, what did you find out?"

"Always changing the subject back to _that_ when I'm starting to see the real you!" he exclaimed jokingly.

"Sorry, but that's the real reason I'm here."

"Oh, I see how it is," he said with a frown. "I'm only important when I have information you want or you need my help."

"No, it's not like that," I tried to explain, feeling bad for my previous words. "But you are the one who invited me over here for that reason you know."

"Fair enough," he said with a sigh.

"So?" I pressed.

"Well, his sister was alive. She only passed away recently of a drug overdose as The Joker mentioned. There's one tiny problem though."

"What's that?"

"She had a son. He's about three years old, and currently he's parentless."

"What happened to his father?"

"No one knows who his father is. But Edward Nygma is suspected to be the father."

"Edward Nygma?"

"Calls himself The Riddler. Leaves a riddle every time he commits a crime, never commits any serious crimes like you and Joker. I catch him all the time and put him back in Arkham, that's where he is now actually."

"Oh," I said. "So where's the kid?"

"His name's Benjamin. Alfred's looking after him at the moment. I figured I might adopt him so he can have a decent home."

"No!" I exclaimed forcefully, making Bruce jump a bit. "He should be with his uncle."

"Are you nuts?" he asked in disbelief.

"No, I'm not. How can you want to take the boy away from the only family he's got left? He should be allowed to know his uncle. You can't tell me that you wouldn't have liked to have somebody, anybody, left of your family to have a better connection to your parents after they died," I said defiantly.

Bruce sighed and cast a glance away from me. I knew I had stuck a nerve, but I also knew it was a point he wouldn't argue. "I suppose you've got a point. But do you really believe The Joker is going to accept this child into his life, let alone make a halfway decent father?"

"It's his nephew. Why wouldn't he accept him? I doubt he's that coldhearted," I said. Bruce rolled his eyes, but didn't speak. "Not to mention that I have a plan."

"A plan, huh?" Bruce questioned, sounding skeptical.

"Yes, a plan. You don't need to worry. I've got it all worked out," I said with a smile.

"Of course you do," he replied, not completely convinced.


	16. Chapter 16

**AN: Sorry it's taken awhile to get another update out. Hopefully I can get another one or two out sometime this weekend! For now, enjoy and just be patient as the updates come a little slower than before...**

I left Bruce's shortly after I had convinced him to allow Benjamin to be with The Joker and me. I decided to take Benjamin with me. He was sleeping, so I got to carry him the whole way back.

I spruced up the bedroom next to mine enough to make it suitable for him. I laid him in the bed so he could sleep the remainder of the night and I went to bed too. I decided to keep him hidden there until I had carried out my plan with The Joker. Of course, having Benjamin here already would make it harder for The Joker to reject my idea which was a plus for me.

I awoke in the morning to hear The Joker screaming and banging stuff in the kitchen. At first I was scared that he had found Benjamin, but when I rushed out to the kitchen I saw that he was pissed by what was on the TV screen.

We were not the top story of the morning like we should have been. Instead, it was Poison Ivy once more. Apparently she was trying to make an environmental statement once again as she had murdered the entire night crew at the power plant. To top that off, she had shut down the power to half of Gotham on the side of town where Arkham was located. They had no news on if any patients escaped, but it was likely that some would have.

I knew I needed to calm him down before he ended up waking Benjamin because I didn't want to have to explain that one now. Because now was definitely NOT a good time. I took the remote off the table and shut the TV off. The Joker paused and looked at me, anger present in every one of his features.

I smiled to let him know that I meant well. Then I spoke, "I have a sure-fire way to get us back into the news."

"Oh really? Because your last plan didn't work out so well, now did it?" he replied bitterly.

"True," I said, "but how was I supposed to know she was planning something like that?" The Joker didn't answer. He remained silent waiting for me to continue. "We have those two huge boxes of TNT in the basement. What do you say we give Gotham some fireworks?"

"Alright. That might just put me in a better mood. Where?"

"Anywhere you want," I said, not about to suggest anything more than using the explosives.

The Joker remained silent for a moment as his eyes darted back and forth as he contemplated the perfect spot for our latest idea of mayhem. Suddenly, his eyebrows shot up and he smiled. "I know the perfect place." I waited for him to tell me where, but he didn't. He simply darted off to the basement to carry the crates of TNT to the car.

While he prepared the car, I went to check on Benjamin. I found him to be perfectly fine, still sleeping. I gently woke him and gave him some Cheerios. I then told him, "Tonight we'll tell Jack about you, alright? Think you can make it till then?" He just smiled up at me. I smiled back and stroked his hair as I said, "You can go back to sleep for now if you want." Then I heard The Joker yelling for me. I quickly gave Benjamin a kiss on the forehead and ran out of his room to meet Joker.

"Come on! Let's go already! You're holdin' up the process, sweets!" he shouted.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," I replied, grabbing my jacket as I followed him to the car.

The Joker drove straight into downtown Gotham. He had a look of pure determination on his face. Definitely a man on a mission. I didn't dare ask where we were headed, I would find out soon enough.

Shortly after that thought crossed my mind, he parked on the backside of the Gotham City Federal Courthouse. He turned to me with a smile while my jaw dropped as I realized his intent. "Think this is good enough to put us back on top?" he asked.

I nodded my head slowly, still having difficulty grasping the magnitude of the situation. He was – no, _we _were – about to blow up the courthouse. We were definitely getting good at federal crimes. _First a bank, now a courthouse. What next? A military training camp? _

The Joker interrupted my thoughts by saying, "I think it will send an appropriate message too."

"What message is that?" I asked, feeling like I was a page or two behind him.

"We are above the law," he said simply before letting out his signature madman laugh.

"Oh," I said, finally catching up. "Yeah, I suppose so. Do you think they'll get it?"

"Won't matter. Either way they'll be terrified and we'll be on top of the news. Besides, I'm sure ol' Batsy will get the message," he said with another laugh.

"Let's go then," I said, opening my car door.

"Of course, my sweets!" he said, opening his door as well.

The Joker took the lead once we entered the building. We walked into the main lobby from one of the side corridors. The Joker fired one shot into the air to get everyone's attention. People immediately froze or hit the floor. I just silently behind him as he spoke, "Good morning, you fine people of Gotham! We're here to make your day a little more lively!"

As he spoke those words, his cronies in their clown masks came bursting in the front door. They started forcing people to sit down, backs to the wall. They passed out grenades, pulling the pins on them so that if they let go it would explode.

The Joker continued giving his speech to the terrified captives, "We've got some business to attend to in the back, so you'll have to excuse us. Of course, these fine fellows here will be keeping you company. We wouldn't want you to go trying anything, ya know!" He then began to laugh as he pushed me to start walking. We headed to one of the back courtrooms.

Actually, we entered one of the small chambers off the side of the room. The Joker grinned and laughed, "I think this room is perfect."

I nodded slowly as I looked around, realizing this room must have connected to other courtrooms than the one we had just come from because there were at least seven other doors excluding the one we had come through.

The Joker turned to me, "Go get the dynamite from the car, will ya?"

I nodded and left the room.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I was scoping out the perfect areas to place the TNT to get the maximum effect when I heard footsteps behind me. "About damn time you returned! Did you get lost or something?" I said without looking up.

The footsteps came closer, but no one spoke to me. "Mel?" I asked turning around. It wasn't Mel. I found myself face to face with Poison Ivy instead. "What the hell are you doing here?" I asked.

"I could ask you the same thing," she smiled as she removed her cloak to reveal a very revealing green outfit with ivy leaves lining the top at her breast line.

"You'd better not be here to steal my thunder. Because this was all my idea and you're not gonna take Gotham from me," I said as forcefully as I could as I tried not to look at her body.

She stepped closer to me and ran her fingers across my chest. "Now why would I want to steal your thunder?"

"I…I don't know," I stuttered as my breath hitched when she touched me. I unconsciously licked my lips.

She smiled and leaned closer to me. I licked my lips again. Her lips were about to touch mine when I heard a voice yell, "You bitch!!!! He's mine!!!!"


	17. Chapter 17

**AN: Haha...scratch that from the last chapter. I decided to get another one out today. I know this is short, but since you got two in one day it should be ok...lol! Do my best to get another update out sometime over the weekend! Hope you enjoy!**

I only froze for half a second when I saw Ivy about to kiss Joker. _Did he not remember what I had told him about her lips??_ I ran headlong at her, screaming, "You bitch! He's mine!!!"

I collided hard with her sending us both the to the floor. I landed on top of her, so I began filling her with fists. "Keep your damn hands and lips off him!" I spat at her. The Joker stood back watching this cat fight play out while he laughed. I refused to let up on her.

I glanced back at The Joker and yelled, "Well set the damn explosives while I handle this!!" He flashed me an evil smile and went off the retrieve the boxes I had left at the door.

Turning back to Poison Ivy, I asked, "What the hell do you think you're trying to do? Take my man?"

She laughed, "I thought Bruce Wayne was your _real_ man."

I growled and hit her as hard as I could. My fist connected with her nose and I heard the tell-tale crunch signaling that I had successfully broken her nose. Blood began pouring from her nose as she eyed me with daggers. I smirked at her in triumph.

She attempted to kick me in order to get out from under me, but I was too fast for her. I slammed my fist into her jaw before she could cause me to lose my balance. Then I pulled out the knife The Joker had given me and started playing with it. "Hey, Joker! How do you think she would look with a smile on her face?"

He laughed and said, "I suppose she'd look al—"

When he didn't finish his sentence, I looked over my shoulder at him with my hand wielding the knife positioned at her throat to keep Ivy pinned to the floor. "What's wrong?" I asked.

The Joker turned back to me. "Leave her! We've got to go…_now_."

"Why?" I asked, confused.

"Bats is here. We gotta get out of here before he finds us," he said, coming over to lift me off of Ivy.

I was reluctant to go, but I got off her. I gave her a hard kick in the abdomen for good measure. She groaned and curled into the fetal position. _She's not going anywhere,_ I thought with a grin.

The Joker and I took off through one of the other doors and entered another courtroom. The Joker made a run for the next door that would surely lead to the back corridor that we entered through. I paused and cast a look back over my shoulder as I saw Batman enter the room and pull Ivy to her feet. I wink at her before taking off after The Joker.

Once in the car, The Joker peeled out of the back lot and sped back to the hideout. Somehow we managed to avoid all the cop cars. I don't think I'll ever know how he did it, but I was thankful that he did.

We walked into the house and flopped down on the couch, exhausted from our hard day's work. The Joker flipped on the TV to find that what unfolded at the courthouse was the lead story on the news. We both shared a smile and a laugh. "You did good, you know, Mels?"

"Thanks. You were pretty great yourself," I said.

He flashed me another smile. This one was a little more human though. I grinned back and decided it was time to put my plan into motion.

I stood up and dropped onto one knee as I reached my right hand into my jacket pocket. I felt my fingers wrap around the tiny box as The Joker stared at me puzzled. I cleared my throat as I pulled the box out. "Uh," I began, unsure of how to start this.

The Joker leaned forward on the couch, staring curiously into my green eyes. He cocked his head to one side as if to ask "Whatcha doin'?"

I cleared my throat again. "Will you marry me?" I asked quickly, fumbling to get the box open to show him the ring.

"What?" he asked.

"Will you marry me?" I asked again, forcing myself to slow down so he could understand my words.

He chuckled, "No."

I feel the tears begin to sting my eyes. I blink, trying to keep them from falling. I dropped my other knee so I was on both of them. I reached out and grasped his hand. Then I begged, "Please, please, marry me, Jack. If not for me, do it for the baby."


	18. Chapter 18

**AN: Just like I promised, another chapter up! :) Thanks for all the awesome reviews!!!! You guys rock, but please keep them coming!!!! Ok, I'm shutting up now....back to the story....**

_"Please, please, marry me, Jack. If not for me, do it for the baby." _Her words ran in my head, and I began to panic. I felt the color drain from my face and suddenly I felt very dizzy and sick. _What the fuck is going on??? She can't be. I never did that. I stopped it before it got out of hand. She's gotta be pulling a fast one on me,_ I thought as I fought the sudden urge to vomit.

She must've been able to see the panic in my eyes because she spoke, "I guess I shouldn't call him a baby because he is nearly three."

I started to sigh in relief. _If she had a kid who was almost three it wasn't mine._ But then I froze. I had known her nearly three years and I had been with her once almost three years ago. _No, no, this can't be. I didn't sleep with her then either. Sure as hell know I wanted to that night she came onto me, but we didn't. We didn't!_

I tried to speak, but my stomach would over power that function and it wouldn't be words pouring from my mouth. I slowly leaned back on the couch, putting my hands to my face, trying to calm myself down.

Mel asked, "What's the matter?"

I could've laughed out loud at that had I not felt so sick. _What was wrong? What was wrong? Oh, let's see, you just told me that you've got a three year old boy and by proposing to me have suggested that he's mine!_ Instead, I groaned as an answer as she stood up and plopped down next to me. She wrapped her arms around me as she pulled herself into my lap to be as close to me as possible.

"It's going to be alright, Jack," she said. I groaned again. This time it was mostly in protest of her using my real name. _How could this have happened? And why had she never said anything before now? I swear I didn't sleep with her…did I? No, I came very close and considered breaking into her room that night, but I didn't._ "His name is Benjamin. Benjamin Edward. You're gonna just love him, I just know it."

My mind was spinning so fast, trying to decide if the way I remembered that night when she killed that teenage boy and little girl was how it actually happened or not that I didn't really hear what she had said. Finally, I took my hands off my face and dared to ask the question, "Is the boy mine?"

She paused and stared into my eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Am I the little boy's father?"

"No," she said.

"Do you know that for sure?"

"Yes."

"Who's the father then?"

"Not really certain, actually, but most likely The Riddler."

"What?!?!" I exclaimed in complete bewilderment. In all honesty, I had expected the answer to be Bruce Wayne, but The Riddler? No, no way. She didn't even know him. I didn't think.

"What are you getting so worked up about?"

"How many guys have you been with since moving here?" I asked, ignoring her question.

"Huh?" she asked in confusion. "Why do you even care? What's that got to do with anything?"

I rolled my eyes. _How was I not supposed to care? She was mine and I'm now finding out that she's been with more than me…more than Brucie and me even._ "Benjamin Edward, huh?"

"Yeah, got a problem with the name? I figure Edward for after his father. I call him Benj for short. He kinda reminds me of how I would picture you to look before, well, you know," she finished awkwardly, motioning at my scars.

"If he's not mine, why does he remind you of me?" I asked.

"Family resemblance," she said.

I frowned in puzzlement, but that passed as other questions came to mind. "Hold on just a second. You're telling me that you name him after his father. His father who is in and out of Arkham more than me?!? And so you must've visited him, but never me? So you lied to me," I said, becoming angry that she would betray me like that.

"I never lied to you. I seriously never stepped foot in Arkham that year you were locked up after we met."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" I shouted, pushing her off me.

"What the fuck are you taking about?" she asked, puzzled.

Mel continued to stare at me in confusion and then her eyes told me that she suddenly realized what was going on. It was like seeing a light bulb turn on in her cool green eyes as she began to laugh.

"What's so funny?" I asked, still not following.

"You think Benjamin is my son!"

"Well, isn't he?" I asked confused.

"Of course not! He's your nephew. I did some digging and your sister passed away not too long ago, but left little Benjamin."

"Ok…" I said, beginning to catch on. "Were you going to inform me of this or hope I might think he's our kid and marry you?" I asked bitterly.

"Of course I was going to tell you that! I mean I kinda thought you could've guessed that since we've _never_ slept together," she chuckled.

"Right, right, that's exactly what I thought," I said, regaining my color and trying to laugh. "So my sister had a kid with The Riddler, huh?"

"That's the theory at least. I just thought that since he's lost his mother and his father's an unknown, or even if his father is The Riddler, he's locked up in Arkham, that we should raise him since we're the family he's got left."

I nodded in agreement. "We can see what sort of potential he's got. Where is he?"

Mel smiled and got up. She disappeared down the hall that lead to our bedrooms and returned moments later with a small blonde boy with icy blue eyes. She set him down on the rug. "Meet Benj," she said.

I forced a smile, though I really couldn't see the appeal in a little boy. Nor did I see much 'family resemblance' between us, but whatever.

Mel spoke again as she sat down on the couch next to me, "I think we should get married though to make it more like a proper family for him."

I sighed, "Look Mels, we'll keep the kid, but the marriage is a firm no."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My eyes began to fill with tears again as my brow wrinkled in confusion. I just didn't understand. "But why? I know you, I understand you, I love you, isn't that enough?"

The Joker frowned and stood up from the couch. "Look, Mels, not to be rude or anything, but I don't love you. Sure there are times you get to me and I lose myself when thinking of you, but honestly it doesn't happen often enough to mean anything."

"After all we've been through? After everything you've done to me? You don't love me?" I questioned.

"Yeah, that's what I'm saying, sweets. I do not love you. Never have, never will. You're just a good, loyal sidekick. Not my fault if I make you go _crazy_ inside."

"But, but," I began to protest.

"But nothing, sugar. I don't love you. I'm not gonna marry you. You're nothing more to me than an occasionally whiny little bitch with trying to _understand_ me. I only took a liking to you so I could prove to Batman than anybody, and I mean _anybody,_ could slip into madness."

"So I was nothing more than an experiment?"

"Yep, pretty much," he said with a laugh.

His words cut like a knife as the tears began to flow uncontrollably from my eyes. I was so hurt; I had no words to describe this pain. "You're a bastard!" I shouted, standing up from the couch.

He laughed. "Where ya going?"

"Away! You don't want me, so you can't have me. But you better make damn sure you treat your nephew better than you've treated me!," I spat. Then I ran to the door and threw it open. I ran out of the house, slamming the door shut, in tears.


	19. Chapter 19

**AN: Thanks for all the reviews! You guys are awesome!!!!!! Ok, and now on with the story... :)**

I ran as fast as I could away from there, never looking back. Tears streamed down my face blurring my vision, but still I still pressed forward without stopping or slowing down. I needed to get to the only place I could feel safe and welcome anymore. I could only hope that I was still welcome there.

I burst through the gates of Wayne Manor, out of breath. I bolted for the door and began pounding frantically on it. Alfred opened it and I stumbled inside. I fell to the ground in a heap of sobs. I heard Bruce's voice from a nearby room ask, "Alfred, who's at the door?"

"Why I believe it is someone here for you, Master Bruce," he called back as he bent to help me to my feet.

I shied away from him. Knowing I was being rude, but honestly I was too hurt right now to take pity from anyone but Bruce. I had never been in so much pain, never cried so many tears. Not when my parents divorced and left it up to the judge to decide who would care for me. Not when I tripped over a rock on the playground during tag and broke my arm.

Next I heard footsteps come up behind me. Bruce spoke, "Thanks Alfred. I'll take it from here. Do you mind getting us something warm to drink though? I think she needs it." Alfred nodded and exited in the direction of the kitchen.

Bruce bent down to look at my tear-stained face. "You know, you can't just keep calling on me at night when you need someone. I'm beginning to feel used," he said with a wink.

I tried to laugh, but it came out more like a hiccup. Bruce chuckled as he stood up, holding out his hand. I took it and he pulled me to my feet. Then he led me into the den and sat me down in the oversized armchair. He sat on the floor facing me.

"What happened?" he asked gently as Alfred entered with a hot cup of cocoa. I gladly accepted it from him and carefully took a sip. I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand, trying to stop the tears so I could speak.

I was kind of choked up though, so I found it difficult to begin. "Well, I…uhh…" I tried to start my tale, but couldn't seem to get the words out.

Bruce gently rubbed my hand. "It's ok, take your time. We've got all night, you know."

I nodded and sipped my hot chocolate. Bruce turned to watching the flames in the fireplace dance around each other as I began to watch the flames too. I started to see that the flames were a perfect representation of The Joker and I. We were both eccentric and a bit hard to handle, hot tempered. We could get along in perfect harmony for creating paths of destruction, yet we could never get too close to one another without burning one another. Or being swallowed into one gigantic beast, fueled by mistrust of the world.

I shook my head. I should've known better than to propose to The Joker and actually expect him to say that magic three-letter word. If The Joker did love me, or at least have some sort of physical/emotional attraction to me, he would never admit and I was stupid to think he would. Then why was I so hurt?

_Because he was the first man I gave my heart to. He was the first guy that truly seemed to understand me and like me for exactly who I was, nothing more and nothing less. Sure I had dated guys before, but they all expected me to be something I wasn't. Of course, The Joker sought that in the beginning, but I became that for him. I did everything I could to please him, and he brought out my darker side, my suppressed urges. He made me into who I really was. He saw through the mask and released me from my cage out of what I thought was love and compassion, but now was only for personal gain and power. _

With these thoughts swirling in my head, I felt I had to get something off my chest. The one guy that I could confess my heart to without him judging me was sitting not two feet from me. I cleared my throat to get his attention.

Bruce turned and gave me a quizzical look. "I'm ready," I said with a sniffle. He nodded and stood up so he could take a seat at the foot of the chair. He faced me, watching my every move, trying to get some kind of reading on the situation.

"You're gonna think I'm insane when I tell you this," I started with a sigh.

He shook his head. "No I won't. And I promise I won't laugh either."

I smiled weakly at that. I sighed again, wiping tears out of my eye again. "Well, here goes nothing then. I proposed to The Joker so that we could raise Benjamin as a proper family, but of course he told me no. He said we could keep Benj, but the marriage was a firm no. And when I asked him why he told me it was because he didn't love me. I was, or am, nothing more than a sidekick for him. I was simply chosen to prove a point to you that anyone could fall into madness."

"Ok…" Bruce said slowly.

"I begged Bruce. I begged for him. And he pretty much called me an annoying bitch, or that I can be that at times. And what hurts the most is that I gave my heart to him. I truly loved him and cared for him. I would do anything for him, and I don't even get so much of half that affection in return," I said, beginning to cry again.

Bruce gave me a hug. "It's alright, Mel. You don't need to be worrying about him anymore. I can protect you."

"And that's another thing," I sniffled, pulling out of his embrace.

"What's the other thing?"

"Well, in getting to know you by crying on your shoulder when things go badly, I've found that I like you. At first, it was kind of a sibling love, but now it's definitely not that. But I can't have you either because I'll just ruin your image," I began to ramble, "You'd have way to much explaining to do to everybody why suddenly you're only dating one girl, not to mention that I'm the girl that is a known associate of The Joker's. And I'm sure my dad won't forgive me for running out on him either. Plus I nearly killed him. Somehow I always mange to fuck things up all the ti—"

Bruce cut me off by locking his lips to mine in a passionate kiss. He didn't let it last too long though. He pulled away and flashed me a charming smile.

I stared back at him, my train of thought completely lost, and the rest of me totally confused. "What the hell are you doing?" I demanded.

He smiled again and replied, "Telling you to shut up acting like everything is all your fault. Oh, and that I love you."

I shook my head, not wanting to believe the words he was saying. There was no way that could be true. He was just playing with my emotions too.

"No seriously, Melanie, I do. I love you," he said, placing his hand gently under my chin so I had to look into his deep brown eyes. "And if I have to explain it to the world that the playboy no longer exists, not that he ever _really_ did, then fine. I'll do it. You're too special to me to just throw away. I will _never_ let you go, and you will never be alone."

I felt the tears welling up in my eyes once more. I managed to squeak out an "ok" as the tears began to fall once more. I collapsed into his chest, sobbing heavily.

Bruce wrapped his strong arms around me into a comforting embrace of love and protection as he rested his chin on the top of my head.


	20. Chapter 20

**AN: I want to give a big shout out THANK YOU to everyone who has reviewed....especially those of you who review all the time, Hushabye, Ossiana of the B.P.R.D., angelfishlex: you guys ROCK! :D Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter and I've just realized that this story is going to be quite long because there's still so much that needs to happen, so there's no end in sight anytime soon...that ought to please you all, right? Anyway, enough of my rambling and on with the story....**

I awoke rather early before the sun was even up in one of the guest bedrooms at Wayne Manor. I groaned and rolled onto my back to stare at the ceiling. I still had so many thoughts rushing through my head about the events of the previous night.

Sure I felt sort of bad for running to Bruce like an injured dog, but clearly he didn't mind. And yes, I felt sort of bad for running out on The Joker, but I was so hurt (and still am) that it was all I could do since I wasn't actually strong enough to kick his ass. But what I felt the absolute worst about was abandoning Benjamin to The Joker. There was no telling what Joker might do to that boy and whatever he did to him would be my fault. My fault for convincing Bruce to let me take him, my fault for bringing him out to meet The Joker, my fault for running out and leaving him behind.

I made my way out of my bedroom, off to see if I couldn't navigate through this huge house and find the kitchen. Once I reached the bottom of the stairs, it wasn't difficult as I could smell eggs and bacon cooking. I just followed the scent to find the kitchen occupied by Bruce and Alfred.

"Good morning," I said, taking a seat at the breakfast bar.

Both turned and smiled at me. Alfred simply nodded and returned to the eggs he was making. Bruce asked, "Sleep well?"

"I slept alright," I admitted.

"That's good. I did too," he said when he realized I wasn't going to ask.

I cracked a smile and rolled my eyes at him. He just shook his head as he turned back to frying the bacon.

When they finished cooking, Alfred placed a plate in front of me as Bruce slid into the seat next to me with a plate of his own. Alfred turned to leave, but Bruce called him back. "Why don't you join us too? We don't bite nor do we mind, right Mel?"

"Oh, yeah, please, you're welcome to join us," I said quickly.

Alfred smiled, "Thank you," and fixed himself a plate and took a seat next to Bruce.

I sat quietly munching on the bacon and absent-mindedly pushing the eggs around my plate with my fork. Bruce seemed to have noticed because he placed a hand on top of my right hand holding my fork and asked, "What's troubling you?"

"Nothing," I lied.

"Yeah, like I'd buy that one. Seriously, what's up?"

"I've just been thinking," I said.

"About?" he pressed.

"Last night," I said.

Bruce sighed and rolled his eyes. "Now what?" he asked as he shoveled more eggs into his mouth.

"I feel bad for leaving Benjamin with The Joker. There's not telling what he could do to him and Benjamin will have done nothing to earn it."

"We'll get him back. Don't go worrying about that one," Bruce replied as if it were no more difficult than running to the store to pick up groceries, although I doubted it was Bruce that did that kind of shopping.

"That may be but everything that happens around here lately is my fault," I said. "I mean first I hurt my dad, then I hurt The Joker, then I hurt Benjamin. It's only a matter of time before I hurt you too. I'm thinking everyone would be better off if I just leave Gotham."

"Oh no you don't," Bruce said shaking his head. "You're not leaving this city."

"And what? You're gonna stop me?" I retorted, becoming a bit agitated by his over-protective reaction.

"I might. Where do you think you'd go anyways?"

"I don't know. Somewhere far enough away that those that I love wouldn't be hurt by my stupid actions anymore."

"We all make mistakes at some point. It's learning to live with them and overcome the damage they've done that makes us a better person," Alfred said before Bruce could argue with me.

"I'm not that strong."

"I don't believe that. I've seen you endure more than most people your age would ever dream of dealing with. You can survive this too. You're a fighter, so why would you want to run away now?" Alfred asked.

"Because everything I attempt to do gets shot down in flames and it's more than myself that gets burned. People don't deserve to suffer because of me."

"I think Master Wayne here would be a good one to talk to about this. But I'll leave you with the same piece of advice I gave him. Endure. Take it because you can. You can make the choice no one else can, the right choice. And for you, the right choice isn't to just run away and hide," Alfred said, standing up. He walked and placed his plate in the sink and then he quietly left the kitchen without another word or glance at me.

"What is he talking about?" I asked.

"After we finish eating, we'll take a walk and I'll explain it to you. But tell me, where do you think you're going to go if you leave?"

"I told you I don't know. And even if I did I wouldn't tell you because you'd just follow me and that defeats the point of me leaving this place."

"Well, you could go off to some college, that I could understand as a legit reason to leave Gotham City."

"No college would admit me after being The Joker's accomplice."

Bruce chuckled, "Probably not. So there's no reason to leave then."

"There's plenty of reason to leave," I said stubbornly.

"And you think that trouble won't follow you? You think that someone won't find you? If we don't find you, you'd probably end up somewhere like Metropolis and have a different caped hero trying to protect you," Bruce said sarcastically.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm pretty certain trouble doesn't follow me because I never had this much trouble till I moved to Gotham. Besides, I think I could take care of myself."

He scoffed, "Oh, so you just come running to me because I'm good looking?"

"Yeah, that's it. Just flaunt your ego, why don't you?"

He flashed me his charming grin. "Are you done eating?"

"Way to change the subject. But yes."

"Ok, then let's go for a walk," he said, standing up as used the napkin to remove his milk mustache.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I sat in the darkened basement trying to come up with something destructive and fun. Unfortunately, I wasn't having much luck because my mind kept wandering to Mel's sudden outburst and flight last night.

I figured she would have come back last night or this morning, but so far that was a negative. I didn't really think she was mad at me because I thought she was smart enough to realize that I was incapable of loving another human being. I didn't have those feelings for anyone and I never would. Not even someone who was so infatuated and determined to find the "normal" being within me. There was no normal being to find. There was just me…The Joker…the one everyone believed to be _crazy_.

The most annoying thing was that I had to deal with this kid. Just as I was thinking that, he screamed out. I snapped, "SHUT UP!"

Almost instantly the boy stopped screaming. There was a muffled moan and then silence. _At least he learns fast,_ I thought as I made my way up the stairs to see what his problem was this time.

It always seemed that he never really needed anything. It was like he was looking for company or attention or something. I wasn't one for affection, so he wasn't about to get any sort of special treatment from me. It really was too bad that he wasn't older because then I could train him to replace Mel.

When I found him, he was sitting on the floor and he reached his hand up at me. "Play with me," he said, or more demanded.

I smirked and pulled out a knife. "Here," I said handing it to him. "Just don't stab yourself with it."

He looked at me as if he understood, then his face contorted into an evil, unreadable grimace. I watched him wondering what he was thinking. Then suddenly he slammed the knife down as hard as he could into my shoe, hitting my big toe.

"Oww! Son of a bitch!" I roared. "What the hell was that about?" I yelled as I slapped the boy as hard as I could across the face. He fell backwards on the floor and began crying.

I yanked the knife out of my foot and bitterly glared at him. "Well, you deserved it for stabbing me," I growled.

The boy didn't stop crying.

"Oh get yourself together," I said as I threw the knife on the floor next to him. "Don't stab yourself and don't stab me. You can stab anyone else you want," I spat as I stalked off back to the basement.


	21. Chapter 21

**AN: Thanks again for all the awesome reviews! You guys rock and definitely know how to put a smile on my face! LOL! Hopefully you all will enjoy this chapter as well. And I'm shutting up now to let you begin reading, just don't forget to review please :)**

As I sat in the darkened basement once more, I was still ticked off with that little kid for stabbing me in the foot. Not like I had done anything to hurt him…_yet_. And if the rug rat couldn't behave without me inflicting damage, then I could adjust my methods to be more suitable.

I stopped myself then. I shouldn't be mad at the boy. He was just trying to show me that he really did have potential. I could use this to my advantage. I may have lost Mel (although I planned to get her back little did she know), but she had given me a replacement. And a perfect one at that because he was young enough to be trained in the ways of madness properly and he would _never_ doubt me, _never_ betray me.

I smiled evilly at this thought as I rubbed my hands together in anticipation. Now all I needed was to set up a so-called plan. I wasn't one for planning things, but this situation seemed to require a bit of premeditation at least…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bruce led me out the front door and headed in the direction of the park. As we walked along the sidewalk, Bruce took my hand in his. Anyone who would pass us would probably wonder why the billionaire Bruce Wayne would be holding hands with a seemingly normal girl like me, but neither one of us cared about appearances.

I waited for him to speak, but he didn't. Instead we just kept walking and holding hands. He kept shooting me sideways glances and smiling at me when I looked back at him. The way the sun gleamed off his hair made my heart flutter. I couldn't help but wonder why I hadn't taken a chance at befriending or dating him when I first met him on my first day out in Gotham. _Oh, probably because that was the same day you met The Joker and he started to follow me and try to impress me._

"So," I said.

"So," he repeated with a sly smile.

"Are you not going to tell me about what Alfred said?"

"I will," he said.

"When? Twenty years from now?" I teased.

He gave a dry laugh before his features turned stony in seriousness. "No, now."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I could still hear the boy wailing upstairs, but I chose to ignore him. I needed to figure out what I was supposed to _do_ with him before I went trying to care for him. I was definitely not what you'd consider father material and I had no intention of becoming that. Would I be as cold as my father? I didn't think so, but this boy wasn't about to be babied by me either. I shuttered at the thought of that.

No, what I needed was a woman's touch. But the woman I had, the very woman who had presented me with Benjamin (I cringed at the thought of using his name), had run out on me. Leaving me here to figure out how to deal with a three year old. The woman who had actually brought this boy into the world was now gone from it, thanks to her own stupid desires. _Cynthia always managed to leave me with her messes,_ I thought bitterly.

I frowned trying to figure out what to do. I needed to be able to ask someone about this kid. Someone who might have an idea in child rearing. And someone who may have some sort of knowledge or understanding about this particular child…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I'll just hit the highlights for you, ok?" Bruce said before beginning his story.

"Ok, that works," I said, not wanting to make him uncomfortable by asking for the whole story.

"The Joker's original demand and intention was to get Batman to take off his mask and turn himself in. Most of the people in Gotham wanted that to happen too. The Joker was going to kill people every night until that happened. Finally, I had enough and planned to turn myself in."

"But?"

He smiled, "I'm getting there. I asked Alfred what he thought and he pretty much gave me the same lines he gave you this morning. Of course he added that Batman could be the outcast. Then at the press conference Dent tried to convince them that we shouldn't be giving in to the demands of a madman. Then he told them that he was Batman."

"You let him do that?"

"Sort of. When they were transporting him, The Joker attacked and I showed up to battle him. Of course, I couldn't completely save Harvey in the end."

"Yeah, I heard about that," I said.

"Well, did you hear how it was my fault he ended up with half his face gone? Or how it was my fault The Joker won by turning Dent mad? Or that it was partially my fault for Rachel's death?"

"No," I said, slowly.

"Well, it was. I went to the building Joker told me Rachel was in and it was actually Harvey there. Gordon and his guys didn't get inside soon enough to save Rachel. And," he couldn't go on. His hand tightened its grip on mine and his eyes swam in pain.

"I understand," I said, softly. I just wanted him to know he didn't have to finish because clearly it was still a rather soft spot for him.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I remained pondering whom I could talk to about this boy. I knew he had potential, he had proven that already. I needed someone who could tell me more about how he worked though. And I had to be careful of who I asked because I didn't need to get caught on a technicality like that.

Suddenly I remembered Mel's words, 'Most likely The Riddler,' when I had asked who Benjamin's father was. If The Riddler really was this boy's father, he would probably be able to give me an idea about what this kid might do. Sure, there was part of my sister in him. And what she could do was no mystery to me. But I needed to know more about what he had contributed.

I decided that since The Riddler was currently locked up in Arkham, the only way I would get this information would be to pay him a visit. _Best to go at night and sneak in. Best to come up with an appropriate disguise just in case someone noticed me in there._ Didn't need to get caught breaking into the place that I would be locked up in if caught.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The walk home was a quiet one. Bruce didn't say anything more about Rachel or Harvey Dent or anything that happened before I arrived in Gotham. And I didn't dare press him for more information. I figured if he ever felt the need to tell me more, he would. Or if I was ever compelled to find out more, I could do that too.

Yet, the silence on this walk was killing me. So I decided to break it. "I've been thinking," I started.

Bruce turned and looked at me, "About?"

"I want to see my dad. I want to reconnect with him. Do you think he'll want me back?"

"Melanie, he's your father of course he'll want you back. And of course he'll forgive you. He probably already has."

"Maybe," I said, "But my dad's not exactly like that. You betray his trust and it takes _a lot_ to get it back if you ever get it back. I saw what Mom's betrayal did."

"You're not your mother and you didn't cheat on him."

"No, but I nearly got him killed."

"Believe me, he's over that. He understands it wasn't completely your fault. He blames Joker much more than you for that incident."

"Great, that doesn't help."

"Sure it does. He hates The Joker but loves you, so he'll forgive you in a heartbeat if you just go to him."

"I hope you're right after all I've done recently."

"Just don't tell him that The Joker almost became his son-in-law. That one might piss him off too much," Bruce smirked.

I rolled my eyes, "Gee, ya think?"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As I sat with a map of Arkham (more like a copy of the blueprints that I had stolen so long ago) plotting the safest route in and out, my mind began to wander to Mel.

_Where is she right now? What is she doing? Who is she with?_ Ok, so I could probably answer the first and last questions. She was likely with Bruce Wayne and his mansion. _But what is she doing?_ my mind persisted to ask.

"I don't care," I answered.

_Yes you do. What do you think she's doing?_

"It's none of my business anymore. If she really wants me, she'll come back. And she does really want me, so she will come back. She always does."

_How can you be certain? You really pissed her off this time. What if she's happier with Bruce and doesn't want to come back to you?_

"Ha ha ha. She's not happier with Brucie. _I _showed her the more exotic side of life, the side without rules. What can he possibly show her other than money that would make her want to stay with him? I made her life interesting."

_You never know…Bruce might have some secrets of his own. Such as the one you suspect…_

"Oh please, she wouldn't pick Batman over me. Not after what he did to her, making her go back to her father when we got caught the last time. Oh no, she is mine and she will be back, just you wait and see."

_Yeah, I'll wait and see. But you'll find that I'm right. You're gonna be waiting a long time if you think she's coming back._

"SHUT UP! You don't know what you're talking about!"

The voice in my head didn't answer. "Good, 'bout time you listened to me," I said, turning back to my work.

Then I began to wonder if The Riddler would really be able to help me. If he didn't know he was the boy's father, how much could he offer me? I would need the help of someone else. Someone who knew how to read people, to study them, to figure them out. A person like that would most definitely be able to over me something if The Riddler couldn't. Or even if The Riddler could, this person could offer me more. And I knew exactly which person in Gotham City I was going to ask, for only one name came to mind…Andrew Staples.


	22. Chapter 22

**AN: Alrighty, so here's another update FINALLY! Been a pretty crazy week for me, but looks like things are going to calm down now so I should be able to get another update or two up this weekend....excited, aren't you??? :) Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter, some of it was a bit tricky so I did my best....**

I inched carefully through the shadows toward Arkham Asylum. I was cleverly disguised as a psychiatrist. I had even decided against wearing my characteristic makeup to make me harder to spot, if I was spotted at all. So far, so good though.

Cautiously I stepped through the decently hidden side door that I used for my escapes in the past. Once inside, I quickly guided through the halls. I peaked in every one of the cells, knowing exactly who I was looking for.

Another psychiatrist passed me. I froze, praying that he wouldn't recognize me or ask me anything. He gave a simple nod in my direction and continued on. I began to walk faster, hoping I would find the proper cell sooner rather than later.

I rounded the corner and my prayers were answered. I had entered a ward I was well familiar with. It was the ward for the criminals of Gotham who were insane. The ward for people like me…those considered freaks. The rooms in this ward were labeled. I smiled as I noticed the room on my left, the one that had been mine, still had my name stenciled on it. I looked to my right and saw the one I was looking for. "The Riddler" was stenciled across that door.

I looked over my shoulder to be sure no one was around. The hallway was completely deserted…kinda strange actually because it was usually wasn't this empty and silent. But then again, it worked to my advantage.

I opened The Riddler's door and entered, quickly shutting it behind me. The man was sitting on his bed, back leaning against the wall. He had been staring at the other wall, but he turned when he saw me.

He took to staring at me then. Cocking his head to one side, his eyes followed me as I entered the room and shut the door. I peeked out, still seeing no one. _Good_, I thought turning to The Riddler.

He appeared to be about my height. He had light brown hair and deep brown eyes that had a piercing sort of quality. Honestly, a quick look at him it seemed as if he was normal. It was when you looked closer, really stared back at him, that you could tell he wasn't normal. There were scratches in the wall behind him. I figured they were riddles. I had heard he had a compulsion to write riddles…it was how he got caught so quickly.

I crossed the room to stand right in front of him. He looked up at me with sad eyes. He looked like a disgruntled man who had given up all hope. He also looked a lot older than he probably was, and he was skinny too. Almost sickly. _What did my sister see in this guy?_ I wondered.

"Hi," I said, smiling.

"Who are you?" he asked, half-heartedly.

"Consider me a friend," I said leaning in. "And I need some information from you."

"What sort of information?"

"About your son."

"Is he alright?"

"He's fine. I need to know everything you know about him. His likes and dislikes, any talent he may have."

"Why should I tell you? I don't know you."

"You knew my sister," I growled, beginning to get agitated with his lack of cooperation.

"Ahh," he said softly to himself. "My sunshine on a rainy day. Do you have someone like that?"

I rolled my eyes, "I don't need to know about her. I need to know about the son you had with her."

"A fair young lad, I suppose."

"Great, I want to know more specific things."

"Like what?"

"I already told you!"

"Well, a person's likes can change from day to day. And the dislikes are just a mere reflection of the things that make one insecure. Or they're things they haven't tried yet, in which case how can you really be sure you dislike those things? Maybe you in fact like them."

"Wonderful, why don't you just give me some examples of your son's?"

"You're a very impatient man. You know, patience would be a good thing for you to learn. It's really not that hard. Not to mention you learn things like that real well in here. You don't get control over the little things, you learn to just take what comes, awaiting your time."

"You've never thought of taking charge and getting out of here?"

"Freedom isn't readily available, my friend. You can never truly be free. Tell me, how do you become free when there are laws to be abided?"

"You live in a world without rules."

"No, you die."

"What the hell does this have anything to do with what I asked you about your son and my sister?"

"Ahh, your sister. Such a lovely young girl, but so sad. Hurt beyond repair by her brother and his ways. His unrelenting hatred toward her just for trying to help him just broke her heart. Do you know what a broken heart feels like?"

"Do I really look like a guy who cares?"

"You need to find yourself someone to love. Then you will know the true meaning of this life. I loved her with such fiery passion, but it wasn't enough to undo the damage that had been done to her."

I couldn't take his talking in circles anymore. I reached my hand into my pocket, wrapping my fingers around my knife. I smiled evilly as I pulled the knife from my pocket and flipped it open. "Tell me what I want to know, or I will make you," I growled.

"Hmm…maybe it is that you've found a girl but you don't want to admit to yourself that you actually care about another person other than yourself. Rather selfish of you…you can't go through life alone."

"Oh yes I can," I said taking a step closer to him with my knife drawn. "I can also shorten your life, would you like that?"

"I could be with my sunshine again…never to see another day of rain, feel a moment of agony, drown in the sorrow…"

"Well then allow me," I said, placing my knife blade to his throat.

"Wait!" he cried out. He was no longer staring at me, but as the wall behind my back.

I paused, "What?"

"The more you take away, the larger it grows. What is it?"

"And this is important because?"

"A hole!" he laughed while I stared at him in utter confusion. Clearly this guy was mental and he was not going to be of much help to me.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bruce had convinced me that I should definitely go talk to my father. I knew that I should, and I really did want to, but I was still scared he might reject me. He might slam the door in my face and tell me to go away.

As we finished eating dinner, I asked Bruce his opinion, once more. "You really think I should go talk with my father?"

"For the millionth time, yes. You should. You want to don't you?"

"Well, yeah. I just don't think he'll be so forgiving. What if he slams the door in my face or something?"

"Believe me, he won't do that."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Well, after the incident, I got to know him fairly well and I'm dead certain that he would be more than happy to see you once more and he'll forgive you in a heartbeat."

"Then it's not my father you got to know," I said, quietly looking down at nearly empty plate.

"What makes you say that?" he asked, his voice full of concern.

"I told you, I saw what happened with my mother. I'm pretty sure nearly killing your father and running off with a homicidal maniac ranks up there with cheating on your spouse with a couple of guys."

"Maybe, maybe not. And I'm betting on the not. I know that he loves you, probably a lot more than you realize."

"Even if I pretty much told him that I hated him?"

"Parents always love their children, no matter what they do. Your father is included in that figure whether you believe it or not."

"I don't know. I'm just not feeling this is such a good idea, Bruce," I said, sounding as nervous as I felt.

"Do you trust me?"

"Yes."

"Then you're going to go talk to your father tonight. You _need_ to do this."

"Will you come with me?"

"If you want me there."

"I want you there. Especially if something were to go badly."

"Nothing's going to go badly."

"You can't possibly know that for sure."

Bruce shrugged, "Go get ready…we're leaving in fifteen."

I sighed as I stood up, "Alright…"


	23. Chapter 23

**AN: As usually, thanks for those of you who reviewed the last chapter...you guys always put a smile on my face! And here's the next installment....enjoy...**

I came downstairs, dressed for going to visit my dad. I was wearing my favorite pair of jeans, the green sweater my mom gave me for my birthday once, and the birthstone necklace my father had given me for my birthday last year. My light brown hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail and I had put on a light coat of makeup. I took a deep breath as I walked toward Bruce who was waiting for me at the door. I forced myself to flash him a smile. _At least if he's going with me, maybe Dad won't kill me. Or maybe he'll even think me and Bruce are a couple and be more than happy to forgive and forget…_

"You look lovely," Bruce said.

I rolled my eyes. "Don't try to flatter me."

"I'm not," he chuckled. "Just giving you my expert opinion," he winked as he opened to door for me.

I smiled, unable to think of a clever retort to his remark. He held out his hand to me and I took it. We walked into the cool night air, hand in hand. And standing by his side, I felt braver and ready to face my father.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I angrily left The Riddler's cell, slamming the heavy door as best as I could. He was more than less than unhelpful! Why couldn't he just act like a normal person instead of constantly speaking in circles and spouting off random riddles? I really had half a mind to kill him, to rid the world of such an annoying creature. But then I had to remind myself that I was undercover and would probably get caught, so I refrained. _I'll be back at some point though_, I thought as I snuck out the same door I entered.

I was still on a mission though. And I was going to have answers tonight, if it required killing somebody or hurting somebody, so be it. I wasn't about to go home with no new information.

As I took off into the darkness, heading back toward Gotham, I tore off my psychiatrist disguise and tossed it in a dumpster. I wouldn't need it again if I were to return to see The Riddler once more.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We reached my dad's house a lot faster than I would have liked. We stood on the porch waiting for my father to answer the doorbell. The anticipation was killing me. My stomach was tied in so many knots, I felt like I could puck. I really wanted to bolt when I heard footsteps coming to the door and the lock being undone. Bruce squeezed my hand in comfort as he smiled at me as my father opened the door.

"Melanie?" he asked, confused.

"Yeah, Dad, it's me."

He looked to Bruce for an explanation, "What are you two doing here?"

"Well, Melanie is here to see you and discuss a couple things with you. And I'm just here for moral support," Bruce explained. "Can we come in, please?" he added.

"Oh, yeah, sure," my dad answered, stepping aside to let us into the house.

"Thanks," I muttered as I passed my father.

Bruce led the way to the family room and took a seat on the couch. I sat next to Bruce because I was honestly afraid of sitting away from him. My father followed in behind us and sat in one of the armchairs.

"So what is it that you have to discuss with me?" he asked, cutting right to the point.

"Well, I came here to apologize for nearly getting you killed. I visited you in the hospital, but you were unconscious at that point," I said quickly.

"Oh, well that makes it all better than doesn't it?"

"I promise you, it was _never_ our intention to hurt you. We had no clue you'd even be there then," I said, trying to explain our actions.

"But it's ok to hurt complete strangers?" Dad asked skeptically.

I groaned, "You wouldn't understand, Dad! And I'm not about to try to explain it to you."

"And why not? Because you know I'm right and you're wrong? That everything you and Joker do together is wrong?" Dad continued, trying to press my buttons. And it was working.

"No Dad! I'm not going to explain it to you because you obviously believe that I'm a psycho as he is and nothing I say will change your mind. Not to mention that you can't understand my situation because you've never taken the time to fully understand me!" I shouted, on the verge of tears.

Dad remained silent for a moment, surveying me with his calculating eyes. "I never fully understood you because you refused to let me in."

"Don't try to blame this on me, Dad. You were never around for me to bond with. It's the same reason that Mom cheated on you. If you would've been there, then you'd at least understand how and why I could get wrapped up with The Joker."

Dad rolled his eyes.

"Look, I don't expect you to understand. I don't even care if you don't want to. But is it really that hard to forgive me?"

"It's not that simple, Mel, and you know that. You knew that when you ran off with The Joker."

"So what? And now I'm here begging you to forgive me and love me again. I'm your daughter after all!" I spat, quickly becoming annoyed at my father's unwillingness to cooperate.

"Speaking of The Joker, where is your man?"

I shot a look at Bruce as if to scream, "Help me!" Bruce nodded and spoke up, "She's currently staying with me as a matter of fact."

"And what happened to Joker?"

"They had a disagreement. Well, they've had a couple of disagreements lately and Melanie has found she can trust and confide in me. Therefore, when things went quite sour a couple nights ago, she came to me."

"So are you going back to him?" Dad asked, turning to me.

"I don't know," I answered truthfully. That was something I was still battling out with myself. And as of this moment, it was a stalemate.

"You expect me to take you back in not knowing if you're going to up and decide to leave again for a life of crime once more with that psychopath?"

"No, you don't have to take me back in. I have a place to stay," I said defiantly.

My dad chuckled, "Oh you do huh?"

"Yes, sir. She can stay with me. There's more than enough room at Wayne Manor for her. We don't mind at all," Bruce cut in.

"Dad, really, why can't you just forgive me? A father's love is supposed to be undying for their child no matter what that child does. Can't you just be one of the few guys in my life that doesn't hurt me?" I pleaded.

My dad sighed. Then he stretched out his arms. I stood up and came over to be taken into a tight, loving hug. "I'm sorry, honey," Dad whispered in my ear. "It's just hard. This whole situation is hard…"

"I know, Dad," I whispered back. "And I truly am sorry for causing you so much pain."

"I'm sorry too," he said as we broke apart from our embrace. He turned to Bruce, "Thank you for looking after my daughter. You're a good man."

"My pleasure, sir. You've got a great girl even if she does make some rather unwise decisions," he said, winking at me.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I arrived at Mr. Andrew Staples' residence to hear raised voices coming from within. Clearly he had company and things were not going smoothly at all.

I inched closer to the house, kneeing in the bushes outside the window that looked in on the family room. I could hear Mel trying to explain away her actions to her father. From the sounds of it though, her father wasn't buying her story. I smiled to myself.

When the voices finally died off, I felt the urge to peer through the window. I did so to see Melanie and her father hugging each other with Bruce Wayne watching. I frowned in disguist at the loving embrace between daughter and father. I growled at the thought of Bruce getting so close to Mel…my Mel.

As they broke apart, it appeared that things had been somewhat mended, and that they would be staying to visit more. I smiled and licked my lips as I made my way out of the bushes and toward the front door. This was going to be fun…


	24. Chapter 24

**AN: Alright, I know two updates in one day might spoil you readers, but I was on a roll and had to get this finished tonight so nothing got forgotten or not done as well. Anyway, enjoy the double feature for the day, lol!**

Before any more conversations could get underway, the doorbell rang. We all looked at each other in puzzlement, wondering who it could be. My dad got up and excused himself to answer the door.

When my dad left the room, Bruce wrapped his arms around me to give me a hug. I gladly returned the embrace. "See, I told you he'd forgive you," he whispered.

"It took some convincing though," I said.

"True, but it was worth it, was it not?"

"Yeah, I suppose you're right," I said.

It was at that moment we heard a very familiar voice coming from the entrance. "Well, hello, Pops! Long time, no see!"

I froze and looked up at Bruce as if to say, "What are we going to do?" Bruce returned my look with one of his own that said, "I don't know." We broke our embrace and Bruce went to see what was going on. I trailed slowly behind.

"Oh, look! You have other company! Hey there, Brucie!" The Joker cried as Bruce went around the corner.

"What are you doing here?" Bruce growled.

"Well, obviously, I'm here to see Mr. Staples," The Joker replied sarcastically.

I stepped around the corner and into view then. "I bet I know what he wants," I said bravely. Actually sounding a lot braver than I felt.

The Joker smiled his sinister smile at me. He moved quickly toward me and wrapped his arms around me. "Oh, Mels, I've missed you so much! And been so worried about you!"

"Get your hands off me," I said, pushing him away.

"Why are you being like this? You used to love me touching you, holding you, hugging you, _kissing _you…" he smirked.

"Shut up!" I growled, shooting him the meanest glare I could manage. Which was a lot harder to do because I was still drawn to him to an extent, I couldn't deny that. But I had just gotten my dad to forgive me, I wasn't about to let him screw that up on me.

"Now, shh…you know you don't mean what you're saying. Come on, don't be so stubborn, even if I like that," he winked.

"Joker, she told you to shut up, so why don't you?" Bruce said, balling his hands into fists.

"Why don't you mind your own business, hmm?"

"Melanie is _my_ business."

"You honestly believe that Melanie is going to abandon me for you?" The Joker laughed.

"She already has. She came to me after you treated her so cruelly the other night," Bruce flashed his own smirk.

The Joker licked his lips, but didn't seem to have a comeback for that one because he grew silent. He just glared at Bruce.

My dad spoke then, "What is that you needed to see me about anyways?"

The Joker smiled, "Oh, right, I need your expert opinion on something. You know you being good at profiling and psychology and all."

Bruce and I traded "wtf" looks, but we both knew exactly where this was going. We both know that Joker was either going to ask about Benjamin or The Riddler…or both.

"He won't help you. He'd have to observe them for a rather large amount of time, so asking him isn't going to get you any information tonight. Why bother?" I asked before he could tell my dad what he wanted. I was certain that if it involved Benjamin, The Joker would twist the story, and there would go my work at getting my father to semi-trust me again.

"Well, in that case, then I'm here to invite him to come observe so he could give me some useful information in raising Benjamin," The Joker said. _And there goes my plan_, I thought as he said Benjamin's name. "I mean you did leave him with me so I suppose I ought to attempt to be a decent father, right?"

"You're not the boy's father," I said calmly.

"Yeah, well, he's too little to understand. And I'm the one left to raise him since you abandoned him. What a mother you make."

I scoffed, "I'm not the boy's mother. In case you forgot, that's your sister's son so you're just his uncle and I'm not related to him at all."

"Keep telling yourself that, doll…maybe it'll be true."

"I am telling the truth!" I spat. I could tell by looking at my father that he was growing confused and wary of my earlier words. "I swear, Dad, I am telling the truth. He's the one that's clearly got a few screws loose," I said, pointing at The Joker.

The Joker broke into his maniac laughter behind me as if to confirm my words. "Oh Mels, when are you ever going to learn? The day you met me, your life changed forever and there's no going back…we've changed things."

"That may be true, but I don't have to continue the criminal life if I don't want to."

"Wrong again, Mels. I said there's no going back, and there really is no going back even if that's the thing you want most, which I don't think it is," he grinned.

"So what is it exactly that you want from me?" Dad cut in.

"I'd like you to observe little Benjamin and tell me anything you can about him. I'm actually looking to know more about his potential."

"His potential?" Bruce questioned.

"To be a worthy agent of chaos."

"The kid is three years old!" Bruce exclaimed. "How the hell much help do you think a boy that age is going to be?"

"You'd be surprised, Brucie."

Bruce and my dad both shook their head. My dad spoke, "No I don't think I can help you. And I really think you need to leave…_now_."

"Fine, fine. I'll go, but just know that I won't be so carefully to not put you in harms way," he said to my dad.

Then he walked toward me again. Bruce stepped between us. "Move, Brucie, if you know what's good for you."

Bruce stepped aside, but grabbed my hand in his. "Oh, isn't that sweet," The Joker mocked, "Trying to protect you, trying to claim you as his. Unfortunately though she's already taken, Brucie. You're too late."

The Joker moved in closer to me then. "Keep telling yourself that one, Joker. But you don't know me, not really," I said, grinning (it was my turn to anyways). _You're the part of me that I don't want to see…_

"We'll see about that one, Mel," he said, leaning within a few inches of my face. "You belong to me and I will get you back."

"Good luck with that one," I retorted.

"I don't need luck to do it," he said, closing the tiny gap between us and planting his lips firmly to mine. He forced his tongue into my mouth, causing me to groan as I tried to struggle against him. He was just too powerful for me though.

Then as quickly as he had kissed me, he pulled away and turned his back on me. He headed to the door, but turned back to look at me before exiting. "Like I said, you belong to me…it's only a matter of time," he winked and then he disappeared into the darkness.

**AN: Oh, and the thoughts Mel has that go "You're the part of me that I don't want to see" is actually part of the lyrics to "Forget It" by Breaking Benjamin, just in case you were wondering where that came from.**


	25. Chapter 25

**AN: Alrighty, here's another chapter for you guys! This one is a bit different than most, but I figured we needed a bit of advice giving from someone who is oh so good at that...not to mention I liked putting Alfred in so he's back! Ok, and now I'm shutting up before I give something away....hope you guys like it....**

We left shortly after The Joker. I think Bruce felt it best to get me away from there before shit hit the fan with my father. I had a feeling that while he forgave me, he didn't completely believe me about being done with The Joker, especially after that little incident. Honestly, I wasn't completely convinced myself that I was done with The Joker, but I wasn't really going to say that out loud.

Once we reached Wayne Manor, Bruce disappeared into the Batcave. I didn't follow. He didn't say much of anything to me on the way back to his place, and I really couldn't blame him. I figured he'd eventually question what happened there. Or maybe he just trusted me enough to only blame The Joker.

Within a couple of minutes, he emerged from the Batcave, dressed as Batman. "I'm going out and you are to stay here," he said firmly, though not in his gravely Batman voice.

"Fine. And exactly where are you going?"

"The Joker threatened your father in case you missed that. He's a man of his word so it's highly likely that he's going to make good on that promise. I'm going to see if I can't find out what he's up to first."

"And Benjamin?"

"We'll worry about Benjamin later. Right now, I'm trying to make sure your father isn't murdered in his sleep tonight," he said and then he was gone.

I sat down on the bottom stair of the grand staircase that led upstairs to the many bedrooms. _Somehow I always manage to screw things up, even when I'm not actually trying to do anything,_ I thought bitterly.

Suddenly, Alfred appeared and knelt down to my level. "What's the matter, Miss?"

"Oh, nothing, Alfred," I sighed with a frown.

"A look like that accompanied by the 'nothing' remark almost always means something. So what's on your mind?"

I sighed heavily, "I don't think I want to talk about it."

"I won't tell anybody and it looks to me like you need somebody to talk to. Why don't you come with me to the kitchen and we'll fix you up something and you can talk then?" he asked, standing up and holding out his hand.

I nodded slowly and took his hand. He pulled me up to stand and we walked to the kitchen as I tried to figure out what I would actually tell Alfred.

"Promise not to tell Bruce anything I say?" I asked when we reached the kitchen.

"I can do that," Alfred said with a tiny smile.

"Ok, well, it basically comes down to that I screw everything up like all the time," I said as I watched Alfred move around the kitchen.

"What do you want me to make you?" he asked, basically ignoring my comment.

"Oh, umm….ice cream sundae?"

"Alright, one ice cream sundae coming right up," he said as he went to the freezer and got out the vanilla ice cream.

"Wait, can I do a banana split instead?" I requested.

"Since I haven't actually started the sundae yet, then yes."

"Thanks," I said.

"So you were saying?" Alfred urged me to continue.

"Yeah, I was saying that I always screw things up. Even if I'm not trying to really do anything, I mess it up."

"I don't believe that. What did you supposedly mess up this time?" he asked as he concentrated on making my banana split.

"Well, we were over at my dad's and I got him to forgive me, but then The Joker showed up. And he kissed me and I didn't exactly pull away. And not only do I now think my dad is skeptical of my words, but I think I hurt Bruce too."

"Why do you think you hurt Master Wayne?" Alfred asked, setting the banana split down in front of me and taking a seat next to me.

"Well, I mean he was standing right there when The Joker kissed me like he did. And then he didn't say a word to me on the way back here and he barely said anything to me before he left."

"I wouldn't worry about it too much. He's probably madder at himself for letting The Joker do those things to you than he is at you. And he's probably off looking for some criminals to pummel to get his anger out," Alfred chuckled lightly.

"You're telling me he has that sort of a violent side?" I asked skeptically. I mean sure I had seen him in action as Batman, but I couldn't really imagine him being _that_ violent.

"Oh you have no idea," Alfred said with a mysterious smile.

"Now that just makes it sound like he does this on a regular basis," I protested.

"I wouldn't call it a regular basis, but when the people he cares about get hurt, he gets very agitated and will find a way to right those wrongs."

"Like what made him become Batman?"

"Like what happened to Rachel Dawes."

"Actually he didn't say much about her when we discussed the first round of The Joker's antics," I said.

"If you promise not to tell Master Wayne, then I'll fill you in if you like. I think you staying here and bonding with him entitles you to know," Alfred said.

"Ok," I replied, curious to find out more about Bruce.

"Well, Rachel was Bruce's best friend when they were little. Of course, Bruce disappeared for a time, but that is another story for another night."

I nodded as I made a mental note to find more out about that.

Alfred continued, "When he returned, he told Rachel his secret. I think he really began to fall in love with her too, but as long as he was Batman, Rachel said she couldn't be with him. So when Dent came along, Bruce thought that was his opportunity to give up the mask."

"But he didn't."

"Because he couldn't. Gotham still needs its dark knight, and it always will."

"You really don't think it will ever get better?"

"Gotham has been cast into darkness for too long. It's all these people know now, how to live in fear of the next criminal threat. Now, before Batman it was much worse, but there is never going to be a day where Gotham City returns to how it was in its prime, back when Bruce's parents were alive and doing all sorts of things to help this city strive," Alfred said sadly.

I nodded in understanding. "So what happened with Rachel?"

"Ah, yes, Rachel. Well, she was dating Harvey Dent and The Joker kidnapped them both," Alfred began.

"I heard about that. Rachel died, and Harvey became Two-Face."

"Right," Alfred agreed. "But The Joker tricked Batman on who was located where. So Batman rescued Dent as Gordon arrived seconds too late to save Rachel."

"He was upset wasn't he?"

"Almost inconsolable. He had believed that Rachel was going to wait for him and that killed him. That he let The Joker not only destroy Gotham's white knight, but also his love."

"Was she not going to wait for him or something?" I asked, catching his words 'he had believed.'

I seemed to have pulled Alfred from his memories. "Yes, she was going to marry Dent. She left him a note, but I never gave it to him."

"Why?"

"Because that morning he said that Harvey could never know and he was so hurt by her death that I really didn't think it wise to do him more damage. So while Harvey could never know what Bruce believed, Bruce could never know what was Rachel's truth."

"Makes sense I suppose," I said slowly. "So what did he do?"

"Was damned determined to get The Joker. And he did, and he still didn't break his rule. But obviously, The Joker's back again and attempting to harm someone Master Wayne cares deeply for," Alfred said.

"Me? I don't think he's _that_ into me…is he?"

"He's definitely quite fond of you and very pleased to have you around. He doesn't like how The Joker has caused you so much pain, partly why he was more than happy to take you in that night you left for good."

"That may be, but I don't think he likes me like that."

"He kissed you, didn't he?"

"Well, yeah, but…"

Alfred shook his head, "No buts, Miss Staples. You're going to have to take it for what it is. Master Wayne is quite fond of you. And in my opinion, you're good for him."

"How can you say that? You've seen the people I've hurt."

"Yes, but I've also seen the people you've helped as well as how you've stood up to attempt to correct your faults. To admit you have been wrong is much more meaningful than to have been perfect or to turn a blind eye to those you injure. You have a good, kind heart, Melanie, whether you see it or not, the rest of the world does."

"Maybe….I still just don't see how I could be good for Bruce. Honestly it's shocking I haven't hurt him yet," I frowned.

"Trust me, I know Bruce and you are good for him. I also think even if you did 'hurt' him that he'd forgive you before you even realized you had done anything wrong. He's already forgiven you for your actions with The Joker."

"That's because he like everyone else blames The Joker for my actions. Of course, a lot more of it was me. And a lot more of it was actually things I wanted to do. There's just something about The Joker, he really gets into your mind and can change the way you think. In all honestly, lots of what he says makes sense if you really think about it, as wrong as it may seem."

"I can see that. The Joker isn't a normal criminal; he doesn't look for anything logical like money. He just wants to watch the world burn."

"Yeah…he's unique as are his philosophies…"

"I'll leave you to your thoughts then, Miss, but just know that Master Wayne is not mad at you because he wouldn't be able to be mad at you."

"Thanks, Alfred…for telling me everything you've told me tonight."

"You're welcome," Alfred said with a smile as he exited the kitchen while I turned back to the remaining spoonfuls of banana split.


	26. Chapter 26

**AN: Hey guys! First, thanks for all the awesome reviews...you guys just make my day by letting me know that you all enjoy the story! So here's another update, and a bit longer of one too...hehe. Looks like it's gonna be a bit of a busy weekend, so I'm not sure if I'll get another chapter up this weekend or not, but I'll do my best to get another out ASAP. Oh, and the songs at the end are "You Fight Me" and "Forget It" both by Breaking Benjamin (I felt them appropriate for the situations). Ok, without any further ado, I present the next segment.......**

Unfortunately, I had struck out in both of my attempts for information on Benjamin. I had to return home empty handed, but tonight had not be a complete failure. I smiled as I remembered how I had forced Mel to kiss me, right in front of her father and ol' Brucie. _That ought to give her something to think about, _I thought. _Should teach Bruce to keep his damn hands off her too because she's mine, and I'm not about to share her._

I was just about to head down the street to enter my hideout when I heard a rustling noise behind me. I turned around slowly, reaching one hand into my pocket to grab my knife. I was greeted by darkness. Or that's what he wanted me to think. "Come out, come out wherever you are, Batsy!" I called with a laugh.

In a single swoop, he landed about a foot in front of me. "What do you think you're trying to do to her?" he growled, stepping closer to me.

"Who is _her?_" I smirked.

"You know exactly who I'm talking about Joker, don't even try to toy with me."

"Ohhh….you mean Mels?"

"What are you trying to do to her?"

"Me? Why would you think I'm trying to do something to her, hmm? I've already done enough to her that she'll always be mine. She just needs a little reminder sometimes."

"You're not funny. You're hurting that poor girl," Batman spat. "You're doing her more harm than good."

"Ha…who ever said I wanted to do _good_? I'm the Clown Prince of _Crime_. I don't think I'm supposed to do good things," I chuckled.

"You know what I'm talking about, Joker."

"Oh, sure, sure. But ya see, Mel's actually got the killing and criminal side in her. She can't deny it…I just helped her see it and act on it. There's no going back now though."

"That's where you're wrong."

"What? You're going to fix everything? Right all my wrongs?" I laughed.

"If that's what it takes, but you won't win this time. I can guarantee that."

"Oh, you can guarantee it, huh? Well, you keep telling yourself that, but I'm irresistible!" I laughed again. "You'll see."

"No, you'll see," Batman snarled as his fist connected with my jaw.

I laughed the attack off like it didn't hurt at all. I pulled my knife out of my pocket and flipped the blade out in one fluid motion. "You wanna play _that_ game, do ya?" I sneered.

Batman answered me by throwing another punch at my face. I ducked this one and stabbed him in the thigh. Of course, his armor protected him, but the message sent was the same.

We continued to fight for a few more minutes, with no one gaining any ground. Finally, I paused and said, "You do realize that this is kinda pointless?"

"Does it look like I care?" Batman growled.

"Not really," I admitted. "It actually looks more like you're on the verge of breaking your one rule," I smirked.

"I'm considering it."

"And I thought that you were truly incoruptable."

"You're staring to test my patience," he growled.

"I can see that. I kinda like it. All this pent up rage starting to boil over in the bat. Won't be long now before you crack and start breaking rules…"

"I've told you I've only got one rule."

"And I've told you, someday you're going to have to break that one rule. And I think that day is coming very soon."

Batman growled and threw another punch, this one connecting with my jaw hard. I stumbled backwards as I laughed it off once more. I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing that it actually did kinda hurt.

I started toward him once more with my knife drawn. This time very tempted to stab it into his exposed skin not covered by his mask. _Maybe I could give him a nice set of scars too…wonder how that would sit with him…_

Unfortunately, he didn't give me the chance to attack him because when I saw the twisted grin upon my face, he must've guessed what was coming. He leapt at me and tackled me to the ground, pinning me between his legs. He slammed my arms to the ground above my head, causing the knife to slip from my grip and skid across the sidewalk.

"Now what are you going to do?" I asked with a chuckle.

"Absolutely nothing," he growled, keeping me pinned tightly to the concrete.

"Well, then I've got an idea," I said mysteriously as I craned my neck to get free a bit from his grasp.

He didn't say anything. He simply glared at me with his dark, piercing eyes. So I took that to mean he might actually care to hear my proposition. "You're good at finding out information about people. Why don't you help me out and get some information about The Riddler and little Benjamin for me?"

"Why the hell would I help you, Joker? You're the lowest scum in Gotham and you expect me to help you?" he asked in skeptical anger.

"Well, I just figured you might know something that might be useful for me. Besides, I kinda thought we had a decent relationship…"

"The fact that I won't kill you because I won't break my rule and that you won't kill me out of some sick twisted desire to get me to break my rule does not mean we have a good relationship."

"Ha ha, oh, Bats sometimes you really are slow, aren't you?" I laughed. Once again, he shot daggers at me with his eyes. "We're a lot more similar than you think," I said. "We like some of the same things, you know…have the same attractions."

"Shut up, Joker. You don't know what you're talking about," he growled.

"Oh, but I think I do. Why else would you care what happens to Mels?"

"I don't have time for your antics," Batman spat as he got off me, not before pressing my hands hard into the ground.

"Suit yourself, Batsy, but one day you'll see what I'm talking about," I cackled after him as he disappeared into the night.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After finishing my ice cream, I headed upstairs to my room. I went to the bathroom and took a long hot shower to calm my nerves. Something about Alfred's words had caused me anxiety. _Could Bruce really be in love with me?_ I wondered. I didn't think it was possible, but then again, I never imagined that I would have fallen in love with The Joker either.

I got out of the shower and put on my favorite pajama/lounge pants (pink with little bunnies all over them) and light pink tank top. I decided not to actually dry my hair, so I put in into a braid so that it would be wavy in the morning. As I braided my hair, my thoughts drifted to what had happened tonight.

_Was I really still in love with The Joker? I know I didn't pull away when he kissed me, but I didn't exactly kiss him back either. I just hope Bruce noticed that. _That thought made me shiver. It was clear that I actually cared what Bruce thought about that event. _I suppose now I'll fall in love with Gotham's vigilante when things didn't work so well with the notorious criminal_, I thought sarcastically to myself.

I wandered into my bedroom and climbed into the bed. My plan was to fall asleep and not have to deal with Bruce until the morning. Except my mind was too busy trying to sort out my feelings and the events at my father's as Alfred's word haunted me, that I couldn't fall asleep.

I sighed and rolled out of bed. Grabbing my robe, I headed downstairs to curl up on the couch in the den where so many deep conversations had transpired between Bruce and I. When I got to the room, there was a roaring fire going in the fireplace. I smiled to myself. Apparently Alfred had suspected I might end up down here.

I flopped onto the couch in front of the fire, determined to not fall asleep as I waited for Bruce to return.

_I heard yelling outside my door and opened my eyes to find the sunlight gleaming in through the open window. That's when I realized the yelling was coming from out on the sidewalk, not my apartment door. I stretched and got out of bed. The day was gorgeous and I was going to go for a little run before really starting my day._

_When I exited the apartment, I realized that this wasn't Gotham City. Where am I? I wondered as I looked around for anything that seemed familiar. I noticed a park toward the west. I took off in a jog toward it. When I reached the entrance, I realized that I was back in Boston. I smiled thinking about how wonderful it was to be back and how wonderful it would be to see everyone. I had managed to escape the horrors that I had been introduced to in Gotham._

_As I entered the park, I took the longer path that went around the "lake." I started out jogging, but decided that I would prefer to enjoy the warm morning air so I slowed to a walk. I hummed along to my ipod, singing along when my favorite songs came on. _

_Before long, I was lost in my own little world, singing along at the top of my lungs to my ipod as it shuffled through my music. _

_"You fight me, flat on my lonely face I fell; Finding in the end I live well; In light of the life that I have found, It's coming down._

_"I don't know what isn't real, but it's easy to beat me. Life is sink or swim; Love is blinding, no suriving. _

_"I don't know what I want to be yet; But I can show that I need to see this. No time for lies or empty fights; I'm on your side…"_

_I was so wrapped up in singing along, I didn't realize where I was until I walked into a young man. "Oh, sorry," I apologized, "I just kinda got wrapped up in the music." _

_"It's quite alright," he said, turning to smile at me. _

_I gasped as I realized who it was. It was Bruce Wayne. But what is he doing in Boston? I wondered as the music continued to play… 'Can we live a life of peace and happiness? I don't think so. No denying I am scared to lose the things I love. I'm in control. This is how, this is how it's going to end…'_

_"Wha—What are you doing here?" I choked out._

_"Just visiting. And I kinda hoped I might run into you, to be honest," he admitted with a smile._

_"Oh, well, uh…I'm not really sure how I feel about this," I said, honestly. 'Everyone is waiting here for everyone. Leave me alone.'_

_The scene began to fade. Before long, I was dancing around a club with some of those great friends I had left back in Boston when I moved with my father. It was the "Welcome Back, Mel!" party that they had promised me. We hit all the old hangs and a few new ones, including this place, which had become a favorite in the time I was away._

_It was just so good to be with them. After finishing my drink, I set it back on the table, "Well, I'm hitting the dance floor," I told them with a smile as I stood up. They all laughed as I sort of stumbled out there, grabbing the first guy who was by himself to dance with._

_The next song started…_

_"It's a crime you let it happen to me; Nevermind, I'll let it happen to you. Out of mind, forget it, there's nothing to lose, but my mind and all the things I wanted._

_"Everytime I get it I throw it away; It's a sign, I get it, I wanna stay; By the time I lose it, I'm not afraid; I'm alive but I can surely fake it…"_

_As I was dancing with this random guy, another man tapped his shoulder. I spun around continuing to dance to my own beat within the beat of the music. The new man asked, "Mind if I cut in?" _

_Apparently, the first guy didn't because before long I was roughly grabbed by the new partner and spun around. Being a little tipsy already, I nearly lost my balance and fell into his chest._

_I smiled sheepishly up at man who kept me from falling, "Sorry." _

_He smiled down at me, a twisted scarred grin, "Quite alright my sweet."_

_"What the hell are you doing here?" I demanded as the music blared, 'How can I believe when this cloud hangs over me? You're the part of me I don't wanna see. Forget it…forget it…forget it…'_

_"You didn't really think that you could escape me, did ya? You know I'll always find you, no matter where you go in this world," The Joker chuckled at my horror struck face._

_"But…but…" I stuttered._

_"There's no 'buts,' Mels. There's just me and you. And you'll never escape that reality," he said, holding me tighter to his chest as we slowly danced around in a circle._

_Suddenly I felt cool lips brush against mine. I sucked in a breath. This cannot be happening to me right now, I thought. But I couldn't pull away. I didn't want to. This felt so good as I returned the kiss, savoring the moment._

Then I felt the lips pull away. I slowly opened my eyes to find myself sprawled out on the couch in front of the fire. Bruce was leaning over the back of the couch peering at me wearing a charming smile that made my heart melt. "Hey," he whispered.

"Hey," I whispered back with a smile.


	27. Chapter 27

**AN: Thanks to those of you who reviewed the last chapter! I tried to make this chapter a bit on the longer side, and still not leave anything out that's going on. I know it might be a bit slow, but I promise more action will be coming soon so bear with me for now :)**

"What compelled you to sleep on the couch?" Bruce asked with a smile.

"I was waiting for you to get back," I said, stretching and sitting up. I scooted over on the couch to make room for him to sit next to me.

He came around the couch and took a seat. "You didn't have to, you know."

"I wanted to though. Plus, we need to talk."

"About?"

"Our fee—wait, did you kiss me?" I asked suddenly, remembering my dream.

Bruce looked puzzled, "Yeah I've kissed you before…"

"No, I mean just now. Before I woke up."

"Ohh," Bruce smiled sheepishly, "Maybe…"

"It's a yes or no question, Bruce," I grinned.

"Well, then, yes…" he said slowly, putting the words together carefully.

I hit him playfully, "Oh, so you take advantage of the girls when they're asleep, huh?"

He opened his mouth in shock, "No, why would you even think something like that?"

"It was called a joke," I said, rolling my eyes.

"If you must know, it's because you were just so lovely laying there sleeping. I kinda couldn't resist," he grinned again, his cheeks turning slightly red.

I smirked back, "Well, I guess that makes it ok then."

"So what is it we need to talk about?"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I entered my home, alone, slightly bruised, and rather frustrated. Actually, in my most recent frustration toward Batman, I kicked open the door. I stormed into the kitchen, set to find some food…food could make it better, plus I had to feed the kid.

As I was banging pots and pans together, Benjamin entered. He was standing behind me when he spoke, "Can I help?"

I spun around rather fast in surprise, causing one of the pots to clatter to the ground. I flinched as it hit the ground loud as a gunshot while Benjamin covered his ears. Surprisingly, he didn't cry though.

"Can I help?" he repeated.

"Err…" I said, unsure of what to say. Then I figured, _What the hell? The kid's gotta learn sometime._ "Alright, come here," I said, pulling a chair over. I picked him up and set him on it so he could stand next to me while I made up some mac-n-cheese (_kids like that stuff…_) with Benjamin "helping"…or trying not to get burned.

As we were eating the mac-n-cheese, Benjamin was making a very cheesy mess of himself and I was barely touching my food as my mind began to wander…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You really like me, don't you?" I stated bluntly. I couldn't really see a point to dancing around the question.

"I thought I've told you this already," Bruce said, raising an eyebrow in question.

" Well, yeah, you told me that you that I had grown on you and all, but it could've just been your way to comfort me after I was dealt the ultimate form of rejection," I said.

Bruce chuckled and shook his head, "Do you always make everything this difficult?"

"How am I being difficult?"

"I've told you that I love you. What more do you want me to say? I haven't changed my mind if that's what you really want to know. I told you that I'd fallen in love with you and if you want me, then I will always be here for you. Even if you don't want me, I'm always going to be around when you need me."

"Right," I said slowly.

"Do I detect some skepticism?"

"Not exactly."

"You've heard those lines before, so you don't trust them?" Bruce guessed.

I sighed, knowing I wouldn't be able to lie to him. "Yes," I muttered, casting my gaze to the floor.

Bruce shifted closer to me and wrapped his loving arms around me, pulling me closer to him. "Why don't you tell me about it? If you're up to it, that is," he said gently.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_It's too bad Mel's not here. She'd see that I'm not that cold-hearted, I mean I'm taking care of Benj right now, aren't I?_

Before I could get any further in my thoughts, Benjamin interrupted by saying, "I'm finished!!!"

I looked up to see his face mostly covered in melted cheese, but his plate was clean. I grinned and went over to wipe his face with the napkin. He squirmed under touch, but I managed to get the cheese off his face.

He hopped down from the chair and darted to the living room. I chased after him. "Not so fast, it's bath time."

That in itself was a project. That little boy fought me every bit of the way and then when I finally got him into the bath, he splashed me with soapy water. It burned my eyes and soaked my suit. I growled, "You'd best to cooperate or I'll be forced to harm you, which I don't particularly want to do tonight."

Benjamin nodded and allowed me to finish without a fuss. He learned fast, I'll give him credit there. After his bath, I took him to watch TV with me. Of course, I picked the channel, but I wasn't really watching. And before too long, he wasn't either. He was leaning against my arm, falling asleep. I sat there hating to admit it, but I really didn't mind Benjamin that much.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Well, I was really close to my older cousin. He was the older brother I never had and I loved him so much. And you know, he never cared that his little girl cousin followed him around and always wanted to play with the guys?"

Bruce nodded, gently squeezing my shoulder. I sighed and continued, "He made me a promise that he would never leave me, that he would always be there whenever I needed him. All I had to do was call him. Until one day…"

I stopped, my eyes welling up with tears thinking of that dreadful night. I felt the hot tears rolling down my cheeks as Bruce hugged me tight and lightly kissed the top of my head. He leaned back some them, gently rubbing his thumb across my cheek to wipe away the tears. "Hey, listen, you don't have to talk about it if it hurts too much. I understand."

"Might as well get it off my chest now that I've started though, right?" I sniffled.

"It's up to you, but I'm not going to force the issue," Bruce assured me.

I took a deep breath and pressed on through the memories, "It was New Year's Eve and we were all over at my uncle's house celebrating. Well, my cousin, Thomas, that was his name. Well, some of his friends came over and convinced him to go with them to the bar. I asked f I could go with…"

"Wait," Bruce said in my pause. "I just have one question. How old were you and how old was he?"

"Oh," I hic-laughed nervously, "I was about fifteen and he was twenty-one, so seven years difference between us, but we were really close nonetheless. He was my brother, my best friend, and my protector all in one."

Bruce nodded, "Alright. Go on, please," as he gently rubbed his hand on my back to comfort and encourage simultaneously.

"Anyways, I begged to go with them, but he told me I couldn't come. I wasn't old enough. I was hurt and I told him that he promised I could always go with him. He was firm on the 'no' though. I told him that I really hated him for that and he had promised to make it up to me later."

"But?"

"But," I sighed, "he never did. He never got the chance." I broke down into sobs, unable to finish my story.

Bruce pulled me tightly to his chest, "Shh, it's alright Melanie. Just tell me what happened, it's all going to be ok."

I took deep breaths, trying to regain control of myself. I finished my story between the sobs, tears streaming down my face like a never-ending salty river, "Thomas and his friends got drunk and when they were driving home, they got in a really horrid car accident. Thomas died at the scene. And the one guy that always loved me for who I was and promised to always be there was gone…forever, the promise broken."

After I managed to get that out, I broke down again against Bruce's chest as he held me tightly. He scooped me up into his lap so he could hold me closer as he sat hugging me and stroking my hair as I stained his shirt with my tears.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

With little Benj sleeping up against me, I was left with nothing to do but allow my mind to wander. First I thought of how I was to raise this boy. I knew I would _never_ hurt the kid, not unless he really deserved it or developed that annoying love of talking in riddled nonsense like The Riddler. I wasn't about to be as cruel as my old man had been. Well, I wasn't going to be as cruel as any of my family had been because all of them had betrayed me at some point.

Then my mind thought of Melanie. If only she could see me capable of this compassion toward a little boy…my nephew actually. He had been hurt by my family too, his mother, my sister, went and got herself killed leaving him alone in the world, just like me, just like Mel.

_You miss her,_ the voice said.

"No I don't," I growled.

_Oh, really? Then why do you keep thinking about her? Why do you keep wishing she was here?_

"Because then she could at least see that I have a soft spot. Might not be for her exactly, but still, she's always believed I was human."

_Why don't you show her then?_

"News flash, she's not here."

_No shit, Sherlock. You'll have to find her and show her that you are human, that you can be compassionate, that you have a heart…that you are changed, at least to an extent._

"She won't buy it. And with Batman around, I'll never get close enough to her to be able to prove her wrong anyways," I said bitterly.

_The Joker is smarter than that. He doesn't let Batman stand in the way of what he really wants. All you really have to do is get Melanie alone at some point, take her somewhere private and explain the situation, show her, convince her. And then she'll be yours again._

"Who said she wasn't mine?"

_You did. You just said Batman prevents you from getting to her, which isn't entirely true, you know. And Mel hasn't retuned yet…_

"So you want me to devise a way to get her away from Bruce Wayne, then I swoop in and take her somewhere secluded and convince her to return to me?"

_No, I don't want you to. You want you to._

"You know, I really hate it when you have to make things difficult."

_I'm not the one being difficult. I'm trying to help you realize that the only way you're gonna get her back is to show her that you actually care about her._

"Now it sounds like you want me to propose to her," I said, rolling my eyes in disgust.

_Hey, if you want to go to that extreme, be my guest. Which you might have to do to convince her, you know._

"Do you really have to be this irritating?"

_You're just agitated because you know that I'm right on this one. You know that I'm right that you really miss Melanie. Hell, maybe you actually do love her. And you're pissed because you know that the only way she'll come back is if you find a way to really truly show her how you feel._

"No comment," I growled. "Now just shut the hell up and leave me alone already."

_Fine, sit there in your misery…_

"I mean it, shut it, now."

_Suit yourself…_

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I continued to cry into Bruce's chest until I finally fell asleep. He continued to gently rub my back and stroke my hair as I heard him whisper, "I promise I will never let you down, Melanie. I will never abandon you…I will never leave you alone. And that's a promise I will keep with every fiber of my being." Then he gently kissed the top of my head as I drifted to sleep in his strong, loving arms.


	28. Chapter 28

**AN: Sorry that it's taken so long to get another update out...turned into a crazy week, lol. But don't worry, I'll make it up to you all with some more updates this weekend! Thanks to all of you who reviewed the last chapter (and always review)....YOU GUYS ROCK!!!! Ok, on with the story...enjoy... :)**

I awoke the next morning to find myself in my guest bedroom, but with a guest. "Morning!" I called as Bruce continued to snore softly. I realized that Bruce must've carried me upstairs at some point but felt bad to leave me. _He's such a great guy. Then why do you have to make it so hard on him by not just loving him back?_ I asked myself. I knew I didn't have an answer though. "Morning," I repeated a bit louder, lightly planting a tiny kiss on his cheek.

His eyes flew open quickly in panic, but his expression quickly melted into a loving smile as he focused on me. "Morning, sunshine," he grinned. "Sleep well?"

"Sure did. You?"

"Not too terrible."

"You didn't have to stay with me, you know? I'm not afraid of the dark anymore."

"It's not the dark that I was worried about. I know how much telling me about Thomas hurt – it was in your eyes," he explained. "I didn't think it was right to leave you alone in those memories."

"Thanks," I said, giving him a tight hug. "You know, you're almost too good for me."

"Please don't say that because I'm not perfect either. You underestimate yourself, Melanie."

"Well, let's see how I underestimate my athletic abilities."

"Huh?" Bruce asked, looking very puzzled.

"Let's go for a run," I said with a sly smile.

"You really think you can beat me?" he asked skeptically.

"Won't know till I try but I think I stand a decent chance," I grinned.

"We'll see about that," Bruce winked.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I didn't sleep well that night. My dreams haunted by Melanie, which really began to piss me off. What right did _she_ have to invade my alone time in my sleep? She was just a girl, she had been just a sidekick, so why in hell did I care about her? Why did I have to dream about her, wonder what she was doing, miss her? _Wait, no, I don't miss her._

She apparently was more to me than I had anticipated. _Alright, that's it! I'm not gonna sit her in these freaking memories and fantasies,_ I thought angrily. I gently freed my arm from underneath Benjamin and decided to head to the park – maybe some fresh air would clear my head.

When I got to the park, I found it quite empty which was just fine by me. I wandered aimlessly along the path that ran along the woods. I growled when I looked at the woods, recalling Mel's first killing spree in its depths.

Suddenly, two people ran past me. A couple. "Wait up! That's not fair, you're cheating, Bruce!" the girl called. _Bruce? Nah…that's not that uncommon of a name,_ I thought, shaking my head.

The man paused and turned. "Sounds like someone's giving up," he laughed. He took off again as the girl flew past me, trying to catch him. I rolled my eyes in disgust. _How immature could you be?_

But then I smelled a hint of strawberries. It reminded me of the shampoo Mel had used. _And how many people use the same thing?_ But I still turned and looked after the girl. And I couldn't believe it. It _was_ Melanie…_my_ Mels. _Get her alone and show her how you feel,_ I thought as I took off after them.

Melanie was quickly falling behind; she was no match for Bruce. And I was having no trouble catching up to her. I could've passed her, but that wasn't my goal. The fact that neither of them had noticed me when they ran by had me confident that my plan could work.

Bruce continued to lengthen the gap between him and Mel, mostly oblivious that she wasn't close behind him. I continued to close mine. The irony of the moment (the moment that only I was aware) almost had me laughing out loud. I didn't though – there would be time to laugh later.

Mel began to slow down even more. _Oh this is way too easy,_ I thought. I was merely a foot from her when I leapt and wrapped my arms around her. She gasped loudly in surprise, but didn't scream…probably because she was too out of breath. I put my left hand over her mouth just in case as I half carried, half dragged her deep into the woods.

As we reached a small clearing in the woods, we could hear Bruce's frantic, worried cries of "Melanie!" I began to laugh. Melanie bit my hand, forcing me to loosen my grip on her mouth. She cried out, "Bruce!" but it was lost as an echo in my laughter.

"Why do you fight me?" I asked, turning her around to face me.

"Screw you, Joker!" she spat, turning to run.

I reached my right hand out to grab her wrist to keep her from running.

"Let go of me, you bastard," she growled, trying to yank her wrist free. I was much too strong for her though.

I laughed, "I always said you had some fight in you…and I still like that." I licked my lips as I stepped closer to her.

"You're sick," she said, backing up into a tree. I laughed manically because she was trapped. Her eyes grew wide in fright as she reached the same conclusion.

I gently rubbed my uninjured hand across her cheek. "Shh…you look nervous. Why though? Don't you know we have something special?"

She didn't say a word, but tried to inch away from my touch as she glared daggers at me.

"Aww, come on, Mels, don't be like this. You and I both know we're meant for each other."

"I used to believe that, but I've wisened up recently to your game."

"Now you don't mean that. Deep down you still love me, you still want me, you still need me."

She shook her head, "No, Joker, I don't. You might need me, but I sure as hell don't need you."

I frowned in frustration and displeasure. "Well then, I'm just gonna have to show ya how wrong you really are."

She glared at me, "You wouldn't dare."

"That's what you think, my sweets," I grinned, picking her up in my arms to carry her through the thick woods and away from Bruce's cries. _Someday soon they will all learn that Melanie is mine, and only mine._


	29. Chapter 29

**AN: Just as I promised, here's another update. Thanks so much to angelfishlex and Ossiana of the B.P.R.D. for taking the time to write me such awesome reviews every time! You two are the best :) Hope you guys enjoy the chapter, and please take a minute (I already know which ones of you will) to review and let me know what you think! Appreciate it! **

The Joker took me back to his place and locked me up in the basement for the day. I was pissed to say in the least. First, he kidnapped me. Second, he was treating me like a hostage. Third, he seemed to believe that he still had control over me and that I still belonged to him. _Hate to break it to you, love, but I just don't think I can forgive you for the kind of pain you caused me_, I thought bitterly.

I attempted to use my cell to call Bruce so he could come save me, but I found I had no service. Somehow, I got the feeling The Joker planned it like that. By the time he finally came down to retrieve me from this dark, damp lair, I was thoroughly annoyed with him and just wanted to go home.

"About damn time I get let out!" I exclaimed when he appeared at the bottom of the stairs with the light from upstairs shining behind him like he was some kind of angelic savior.

He laughed, "Always so demanding."

I glared at him. I swear if looks could kill I definitely would've taken care of him at that moment. Of course, I probably would've taken care of him back in the park and avoided this whole mess, but that's beside the point.

"You're always so cute when you're angry," he laughed.

"Oh, just shut the hell up because it's not funny and you're not impressing me."

"I can change that," he said, licking his lips.

I took a half a step backwards, fearing the worst in his grin. "Don't, just don't."

"Don't what?" he teased.

"Whatever you're thinking of doing to me right now, don't do it."

"Ahh, but you don't know what I'm thinking, sweets," he winked.

I took another step back, but he quickly closed the gap and planted his lips firmly to mine. He moaned in pleasure as I refused to kiss him back. Thanks to having Bruce in my life, I found it easier to resist The Joker, but I really wasn't certain how long it would last.

Finally, The Joker pulled back as he made an exaggerated kissing sound. Then he smirked at me as I stared at him in disgust and did my best to not slap him as hard as I could.

He continued to grin as he wrapped his arms around my waist and picked me up. "Put me down!" I hollered, pounding my fists on his back.

He groaned, but set me down, only to pick me back up, this time in a more loving manner. He cradled me in his arms and carried me up the stairs like a newly wed couple might make their way into their honeymoon suite.

When we reached the top of the stairs, he set me down gently and led me to kitchen where he had a full 7-course, homemade meal prepared and laid out across the table. My jaw dropped in surprise. _The Joker can cook?!?!_

He smiled, seemingly satisfied with himself. "Well, go sit down," he said, pushing me forward as he turned and yelled, "Benjamin! Dinner!"

Benjamin came running down the hall and climbed into a chair at the table so fast I thought he might fall off the other side. He sat across from me, eagerly awaiting The Joker to serve up his plate. The Joker waltzed over and began piling food on our plates.

Benjamin began devouring his food and stabbing his pieces of chicken rather viciously. I stared in shock. _What had The Joker done to the poor boy?_ I finally broke my gaze of him, and looked at the food on my plate. I tentatively tasted some of the mashed potatoes.

I felt The Joker's gaze upon me. "It's not poisoned or anything you know. There'd be no point in killing you. We're gonna live together as a happy family," he smiled as I glanced at him.

I shrugged my shoulders as I turned back to my food, electing not to start an argument. I began to eat the food, but I was still cautious. Something just seemed…off. Although, I couldn't deny that it was really good. Who would've thought The Joker could actually cook?

After dinner, The Joker hauled both Benjamin and I into the living room and put on a movie. I feared the worst as he started the movie and plopped onto the couch between Benjamin and I, but I sighed in relief as I saw that he put on _The Lion King_. _Wow, this is really kinda a weird change,_ I thought as he wrapped one arm around my shoulders.

Benjamin leaned against The Joker's arm as he watched the movie with fascination. As the movie continued, The Joker pulled me closer to him, forcing me to lean my head against his chest and listen to his heartbeat. He absentmindedly ran his hand up and down my arm which I was beginning to find annoying.

I stood up and faked a large yawn. "I'm going to bed, I'm super tired."

The Joker didn't say a word, but eyed me suspiciously. I smiled, trying to look innocent. "Night guys," I said as I headed down the hallway to what had been my room here.

I entered my room and opened the closet to find it full of clothes. Clothes that I would wear, but that I hadn't bought. Apparently, The Joker had done some shopping. And from the looks of it, I would be staying here awhile. _Unless Batman shows up soon,_ I thought hopefully.

I grabbed out a bright green cami and a pair of black lounge pants. I headed to the bathroom to change and be ready for bed. After brushing my teeth and hair, I headed back to my room. I didn't bother with the light switch because I was going straight to bed.

I found the bed already had the covers pulled down. I couldn't remember if I had done that before I went to change, but didn't think much of it. I climbed in under the covers and just got settled on my side when I felt two arms wrap around me.

The arms then pulled me tightly against his body. Unfortunately, I was not the man I wanted to have wrapping his arms around me right now…the arms that would allow me to know that everything was going to be ok, that I was safe. No, these were the arms of The Joker.

I rolled over to face him and tried to push away from him. "What the hell do you think you're doing in here? This is _my_ room and _my_ bed," I hissed.

"No, my sweet. This is _our_ room and _our_ bed now," he whispered mysteriously.

"Oh no, Jack. We are not a couple in any way whatsoever. So you need to get out and find somewhere else to sleep."

"I thought you wanted to be a family."

"Yeah, well, I've pretty much realized that you're incapable of harboring those kinds of feelings for another human being, so it will never work."

The Joker's face, while unable to frown properly, looked hurt. His eyes showed that he was in pain, my words had hurt him. _Well, good, _I thought, _how many times has he hurt me? It's time for some payback._

"Look, I'm sorry, but you've showed your true colors often enough that now I realize that a relationship would just be too difficult for you," I attempted to explain.

"Haven't you seen what I did today? I mean, I'm taking great care of Benj and I can cook. So how does that make me incapable of a relationship with you?"

"Jack, being able to cook and clean doesn't make you worthy. You have to be capable of feelings too," I explained. His face once again looked hurt, and I felt bad for being the cause of his pain.

"I am capable of feelings. Since you walked out, I couldn't stop thinking about you. Believe me, I tried to stop."

I didn't know how to respond to that. It could be true, but then he could just be saying it to get me back under his spell. As if his pitiful face wasn't already doing that. So I just remained silent, staring into his eyes in the darkness.

"Well, I guess I'll go then," he said softly as he moved away from me to get out of the bed.

"No, wait," I said. Then I leaned over and kissed him. I don't know why I did it, but I did. He seemed hesitant and puzzled at first, but then he kissed me passionately back.

Finally, we broke apart. Both of us looking at the other in awkward puzzlement. "Well, uh, I guess I'll, uh, go," he spoke first, shuffling toward the door.

I sat up to watch him go as he paused at the door, "What's so special about Bruce anyway?"

I leaned back on my pillow and groaned. How was I supposed to explain it to a criminal when I couldn't even explain this stuff to myself?

"Never mind, I don't think I want to know," he said, his voice dripping with disgust. "Sleep well," he replied, slightly bitterly, as he closed to door sharply.


	30. Chapter 30

**AN: Chapter 30...WOW! I can't believe that I have done that many chapters, lol! Sorry it took forever to get this up! I promise it was ready to go like Sunday night, but the site wouldn't let me log on :( Anyway, I ended up changing a bit anyways so it worked out, lol. Yay...that Heath Ledger got an Oscar (like there was any doubt?)!!!! Oh, and this is gonna be dedicated to angelfishlex and Ossiana of the B.P.R.D. for always reviewing and giving suggestions and even sparking some ideas! You guys are the BEST!!! :) Right, on to the story...**

I stared at my ceiling trying to figure out what had brought on this change in The Joker. He seemed more normal, more human and I wasn't sure that I liked it. Something about it just seemed fake. I also couldn't figure out why I had kissed him. I wanted Bruce because at least he wasn't psychotic. Ok, or not as much…he did dress up like a bat after all, but that was to do good, not evil.

_I should just leave. I know my way out of here and how many times in the past had I gone to visit Bruce in the middle of the night when I needed someone to comfort me? Of course, The Joker might be expecting an escape attempt this time, so I'd probably get caught. _I shuttered at the thought of what he might do to me if he caught me trying to leave him again.

I decided against attempting to escape. I figured it might bode better for me not to, even if I wanted nothing more than that at the moment. Instead, I took to not sleeping and watching my bedroom door. I didn't trust him not to return.

Finally, morning came and I was ready to leave my room. I grabbed a change of clothes and headed to take a shower. Once showered and dressed, I made my way out to the living room, to find The Joker sitting watching the news. He looked up when I entered, "Morning, be-a-u-tiful. You look like hell."

"Shut up," I said, plopping down in the armchair.

"Somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed," he grinned.

"Somebody didn't sleep last night," I retorted.

The Joker laughed as he turned back to the news. Suddenly, he turned up the volume. Bruce's face alongside my fahter's filled the screen, pleading for my safe return and urging anyone who might have some information to please inform the Gotham City Police Department.

The Joker began laughing uncontrollably until he had tears rolling down his face, messing up his makeup, but he didn't seem to care. "Oh, man, Mels, you definitely picked a winner! I thought he'd be smart enough to know who kidnapped you, but guess I had too high of expectations."

"Believe me, he knows. He's probably only doing that to screw with you. And as a formality to the public."

"You'd like to hope that, wouldn't you? What's he go that I don't anyways? And I want the answer this time."

_Hmm…let's see, a respectable job maybe?_ I thought.

"If it's money, I can get that you know."

_Ok, or he's just respectable in general,_ I thought. I sighed, "Look, you're a nice enough guy, but you are a notorious criminal whereas Bruce is a respectable citizen."

The Joker began laughing again, "Oh, that's a good one, sweets!"

"It wasn't a joke, I'm trying to tell you the truth."

"Because a billionaire playboy who got all his daddy's money is 'respectable,' right? A man who has no care in the world, just throws money away, and has any girl he wants. You know, he's probably got another girl right now."

"That's not true. He's really not like that."

"Oh, and you would know, huh?"

"Actually I would. He's really not like that, he just let's the press believe it because it's simpler."

"Or maybe you like him because he has an interesting little secret, hmm?"

"What are you talking about? He doesn't have a secret," I responded defensively.

"Ohh, please! Don't try to make me for the dumb one. I know that he's the man under the mask. And you know it too."

I didn't say a word. I knew that he was right. Hell, he was the one who had first told me about his identity, even though I had had that suspicion I had just selected to ignore it when I first moved here and got wrapped up in this whole mess.

"Mels, if it's a guy with a secret that you like, I have that too," The Joker interrupted my thoughts.

"You're an ass," I said, throwing one of the throw pillows at him. I actually hit him square in the face as he fell backwards laughing.

I got up in a moment of anger and stormed into the kitchen. _How had I ever been in love with this man? He was so infuriating at times!_ I stared out the window not really seeing anything when suddenly a dark black figure popped in front of my line of view. I jumped back and yelped in shock. Then I realized who it was and a smile spread across my face.

I backed out of the way as Batman broke through the glass in the window and came inside. As soon as he landed on the floor, I ran up to him and gave him a hug. "I knew you'd find me," I squealed.

He smiled. "Like I'd really lose you to the likes of him without a fight," he said gruffly.

"As charming as he can be, I think I'll let you two fight for me," I said with a wink. "He's in there watching the news," I said, pointing toward the living room.

"I'll just follow the laughter," he said as he headed out of the kitchen in the direction of The Joker's maniac laughs. I slowly crept around the corner behind him.

The Joker stopped laughing as Batman entered the room, looking livid. "Ahh, so glad you could figure out who Mels is with. I was startin' to worry," The Joker cackled.

"What I don't understand is why you keep insisting that she's yours?" Batman growled.

The Joker laughed, "It's simple really. She wants me. And I've realized that she _completes_ me."

Batman punched him as hard as he could in the jaw while The Joker continued to laugh. I stepped into the room, "Stop! He's not worth it."

Batman looked up at me as if to ask what-the-hell-are-you-thinking? The Joker stopped laughing and looked between Batman and me, "See, I told you she wants me. So, Mels, will you marry me?" he asked as he dissolved into another fit of laughter.

"You wish," I spat as I marched up to him and slapped him as hard as I could across the cheek. He continued to laugh as I turned to Batman, "Maybe he is worth it after all."

Batman smiled mysteriously at me as he picked The Joker off the ground and threw him against the wall. The Joker laughed as Batman wrestled with him and threw him around like a rag doll. "You have nothing, nothing to threaten me with. Nothing to do with all your strength," The Joker teased between his laughs.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Benjamin rushed in holding one of the steak knives from the kitchen. He lunged at Batman, stabbing deep into his suit. Batman cried out in pain as he let go of The Joker.

I screamed and ran at Benjamin. I grabbed him and pried him off as he was repeatedly stabbing Batman. The Joker sat in a heap on the floor, laughing as tears poured down his face washing away his makeup. Once I managed to get Benjamin off Batman, I had to wrestle him for the knife. He managed to stab it into my shoulder before I got it away from him.

I threw the knife across the room after ripping it out of my arm. I was bleeding and in pain, but I didn't care. I was too mad.

I marched over to The Joker, wiping some of the blood off my arm and onto my hand. I shoved it in his face then. "Do you think this is funny? Well, do you? Because I sure as hell don't!" I shouted.

The Joker continued to laugh. "You know I love it when you're angry. You just get the _fire_ in you that can't be controlled. It really is rather amazing."

I glared at him and then wiped my bloody hand across his face. "How do you like that for _fire_?" I asked as I kicked him as hard as I could in the stomach.

He laughed again. "Really? We've got to get you in touch with the funny side of things…it's the best way to live in this cruel world."

"Oh, you think so, do you? And I thought the only way to live in this world was without rules, according to you that is."

"Well, it is, but you gotta be able to see the funny side too. Haven't I taught you that much, sweets?"

"Shut the hell up, Joker, and leave her alone," Batman growled, stepping forward between The Joker and I.

"What are you doing? I can take him!" I protested.

Batman turned to me, a look of concern in his eyes. "That's what worries me," he whispered harshly.

"You really love her, don't you, Bats?" Joker asked as Benjamin ran over to make sure he was ok. That little boy was glaring at me with a look of pure hatred. I shivered to think that a boy of about three could be capable of such strong evil feelings.

Batman turned back to The Joker, "Is that important?"

"Well, I just think it's interesting that you're so _righteous_ and yet you fall for someone with _criminal_ tendencies," he smirked.

"You're the cause of any criminal acts she did, Joker."

"Ahh, no, not exactly. Ya see, all I did was give her that little _push_, much like Harvey. She did the rest, I never forced her to kill anybody."

At those words, I couldn't contain myself. I sidestepped Batman and glared down at him. "So you're saying that I always had a choice? I don't think so. I may have had a choice but you made it very one-sided on my selection, so this is all still your doing."

He laughed, "Oh, please, please, stop getting all mad at me. You're making me crazy for you." He licked his lips.

"You disgust me," I spat.

"You didn't used to feel that way. What changed? I know it's not because of my scars…"

"What changed? What changed? Let's see, you turned me down! The ultimate rejection! You knew I was madly in love with you and you still said you didn't love me and you would never marry me!" I shouted, my voice getting higher pitched as I fought back the tears.

"Well, ok, yeah, but did I not just ask you to marry me like five minutes ago?"

"You didn't mean it though," I said as the tears began to fall.

"Are you sure?" he asked, standing up and putting his face inches from mine. He reached up his gloved hand and wiped the tears off my cheek.

"I'm pretty sure that you didn't mean it. I used to think you might be able to let someone in and love them, but now I'm certain that you can't. You've been gone in your pain and isolation too long."

"I'm sorry, Mels, I truly am. I never meant to cause you so much pain," he said, sincerely. Then he leaned in and gently kissed me. I couldn't help but melt in his touch as I kissed him back, forgetting the world. I knew he would always have that effect on me, no matter how much I ended up hating him…a part of me would always love him.

Batman cleared his throat which jolted me back into reality. I backed cautiously away from The Joker. I smiled weakly as I stood halfway between The Joker and Batman. "Sorry," I whispered, glancing at each of them.

"So I guess Bats gets you and I get to keep Benj, right?" The Joker said, a twisted grin playing at his lips.

"If you promise to leave her alone from now on," Batman growled.

"Wait! We're going to leave Benjamin with him…are you nuts?" I cried.

"You know, Batsy, I just don't know that I can really promise that. I mean if you can't provide the proper satisfaction and she comes looking for me, I'm not gonna stop her," The Joker responded, ignoring my outburst.

"I should send you back to your padded cell," Batman said.

"No, let's just go. Leave him. He'd only escape anyways. Let's just go," I said, pushing Batman toward the door.

"Fine," he snarled as he made his way to the front door. "But I'll be watching you, Joker."

"I look forward to it," The Joker grinned.

"Wait! So we're seriously just leaving Benjamin behind?" I asked again as Batman started to walk away.

"Yes, Melanie, we're leaving him with the only family he's got left. Legally, we can't take him. Now, let's go," Batman said gruffly.

"Alright," I whispered softly with a nod as Batman headed toward the door.

Before following Batman out, I walked over to The Joker. I kissed him for what I figured would be the last time. "Sorry, but I doubt it ever would've worked between us."

"Keep telling yourself that, love," he smiled, "I know I'll do the same."

"Just please take good care of your nephew," I pleaded.

"Oh, I will, I'm all he's got for family, you know."

"Yeah," I said. I gently squeezed his hand, "Good-bye, Jack."

"You'll see me again, I just know it. So it's only good-bye for now, Mels," he replied with a wink.

I nodded once and turned to leave, following Batman out the door into the blazing sunlight. As I closed the door behind me, it felt that while I had escaped a terrifying, criminal future I had also slammed the door shut for a piece of my heart. I would be keeping that piece locked away from the light, to forever yearn for and wonder what could have been…

**AN: Don't worry...I'm nowhere near done yet...hehe. Although, I do have a big favor to ask you of all (and I'm more talking to the ones that don't review). I need to know, Bruce or Joker? Even if that's all you want to say, I would greatly appreciate the feedback, it'll really help me in a few chapters. So help me out....you choose (well or at least offer your vote)..... :D **


	31. Chapter 31

**AN: Thanks for the reviews and votes on which one. For those of you who haven't spoken up, you're still encouraged to. Hope you all enjoy this chapter...bit difficult to write as I hit some writer's block so hopefully it's not too bad :) **

We returned to the Batcave to find Alfred waiting for us. As Bruce pulled off his mask, he nodded his head in my direction. Alfred came over and began looking over my injury.

"Have a seat, please," he requested, pulling the chair over.

I sat as I was told without saying a word. I continued to watch Bruce as he pulled off the suit.

"Ow, that stings!" I cried out as Alfred applied some kind of cream to clean my injury.

"Sorry, but I think you'd prefer the stinging to it getting infected."

I winced in pain, but nodded. I couldn't argue with that one.

Bruce walked over, sitting on the tabletop for the desk that held Batman's insane computer and database system. He continued to eye me suspiciously as he cleaned his own cuts.

"What?" I finally asked. "Why do you keep looking at me like I've committed a horrific crime or something?"

Bruce sat silent and glanced between Alfred and me. As he glanced at Alfred, I did too and noticed that he seemed to nod to Bruce with his eyes. They shared a sort of connection, which I suppose made sense since Alfred pretty much raised Bruce after his parents were killed.

Bruce sighed as he looked back at me. "Why do you always do that?"

"Do what?" I asked confused.

"With The Joker, every single time we run into him?"

"Oh," I muttered, realizing where this conversation was headed.

"Oh? All you have to say is 'oh'?" Bruce questioned, attempting not to raise his voice.

"Oh was actually more of a reaction to realizing where this was going," I said, rolling my eyes.

"So are you going to answer my question?"

I sighed, "Look, I don't know. Things just tend to happen with him. I can't really explain it let alone control it. So honestly, I don't know."

"That's not good enough," Bruce replied bitterly, sounding like a stubborn child.

"What is it that you want from me, Bruce?" I demanded.

"I want an answer! I want to know why every time you see The Joker you have to practically make out with him right in front of me! And then why you always cry to me and want me too! Can't you see you can't have it both ways?"

"You don't think I know that! And if you care to know, The Joker is the one who starts it."

"Yeah, well, you sure don't seem to try to fight him off, now do you?"

"I don't kiss him back!" I shouted, becoming frustrated that he didn't want to believe me.

"Damn it, Mel," he thundered, slamming his fist on the desk. "Why can't you just give him up? He's psycho, haven't you seen that?"

"Yes I've seen it, Bruce! And what the hell do you think I was doing back there? I told him good-bye!"

"You may have said the words, but he'll reappear and then a piece of you will cry out for him once more. How do you plan to get over that?" he responded smugly.

"You wouldn't understand. You don't know what it's like to be different, to be the outcast."

"Oh, please!"

"Ok, sure, Batman's the outcast, but still you're a billionaire. How many hardships have you really had to deal with?" I spat back.

"More than the average billionaire baby, you should know that," he retorted.

"Yeah, you lost your parents. Wow. You still got their money though. You don't understand what it's like to be completely rejected by those that should love you."

"Oh, and I suppose you and The Joker do?"

"Well, my parents split up and didn't give a damn about who I wanted to live with. The Joker's mother was murdered and in a drunken rage his father carved his face, blaming him for his mother's death. So no, I don't think you really understand him like I do."

"Ohh, good for you! That's just great, you understand the homicidal clown, perfect."

"If I may interrupt, sir," Alfred spoke up. "She really may have a point. The Joker is a man you don't fully understand. She might be able to offer you a better insight to the man behind the makeup. So is it really necessary to be so mad and unforgiving?"

Bruce paused, clearly unsure of what to say. Then he cast his eyes to the ground. "I'm sorry, I guess I am being kinda harsh on you. It's just I want to know that you love me the way I love you and that I don't need to worry about the charismatic criminal."

I took Bruce's hand in mine. "It's ok," I said softly. "I can understand that and I'm sorry that I can't give you more of a reason. Things just happen with him, but I think I've seen that he can't change, or won't change, permanently."

Bruce nodded. He pulled me to him as he wrapped his arms around me in a strong hug. "Thanks," he whispered in my ear with a quick kiss. As he looked over my shoulder, he said, "Thanks, Alfred."

"Of course, Master Wayne," Alfred replied with a small smile and a wink.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ONE WEEK LATER…

Oddly enough, The Joker hadn't attempted to contact me or whisk me away again. Actually, The Joker hadn't done any of his usual tricks at terrorizing Gotham City. Most of the residents were pleased and wondered if he hadn't been killed or something. I, however, had a growing uneasy feeling, knowing that The Joker was probably training Benjamin or something. It was only a matter of time before he would resurface.

Bruce must have had a similar suspicion because every night he would leave me with Alfred and do his duties to keep this city safe. I knew he was doing it to protect me and as a way for him to give back to the city, but I was becoming annoyed with him always leaving.

Sure, I had great conversations with Alfred and learned a lot about Bruce that way. Probably found out more about Bruce from Alfred than I had from Bruce which was sort of weird to me. But then again, there were lots of ghosts in Bruce's past just like there were in mine. I always felt bad about telling him he didn't understand about being different when Alfred would tell me about some other happening.

As night fell on the cold, rainy town, I was sitting by the fire reading a book. Bruce came over to me, giving me a light kiss on the cheek. "Alright, I'm headed out once more," he said.

"Do you really have to go?" I whined. It was a rainy night and I didn't really want him leaving and getting soaked.

"You know I have a duty to this city as its dark knight," he replied.

"I know, but it's cold and rainy, you might get sick or something."

"Always so concerned," he smiled as he gave me another kiss.

"What? Now you don't want me to be concerned about your health?" I asked, faking a look of hurt.

He chuckled lightly, "Nah, I guess I'll let you worry about me. It's kinda nice to have someone like that."

"Because you don't have anyone else," I said sarcastically, knowing that Alfred cared about him as well.

He just smiled because he knew exactly what I was thinking. "You just enjoy your book and the fire and don't go waiting up for me," he said, turning to leave.

"Why can't I go with you?" I asked suddenly.

"What?" he asked, turning back to me.

"Why can't I join you out there?"

Bruce came around and sat next to me. "You mean like as my partner?"

"Yeah, why can't I be Bat Girl or something like that?" I asked.

Bruce sighed, " I really don't think that's such a good idea."

"Why not? I can fight. I can help you take on Gotham's underbelly," I explained, a pleading look caught in my eyes.

"Mel, it's not that I don't think you could handle yourself, I know you could. You're a tough woman, but it wouldn't be hard for people to guess your identity and then mine," Bruce explained.

"Ohh," I said, catching on.

"Yeah, I mean Bruce Wayne starts dating The Joker's girl, you no longer commit crime with The Joker, and suddenly Batman has a sidekick that's a girl. People are usually smarter than you give them credit for."

"And you just can't risk that," I sighed. "I understand."

Bruce could see the hurt in my eyes though. "Hey, I'm not ruling it out completely, maybe once things settle down and people start to forget about your previous involvement."

"Like that will ever happen," I said, rolling my eyes.

"You never know. For now, I want you to just focus on taking up your studies at Gotham University in the spring and let Batman handle the scumbags, ok?"

"Alright," I agreed.

"Good. But now I do need to get to work," Bruce said, standing up. He planted a kiss on my forehead and then disappeared.

I sat there trying to focus on my book, but found it impossible. I might not be allowed to help Batman, but it didn't mean I couldn't go out. I could take care of myself after all. I stood up and stretched. I ran upstairs to grab a jacket and then I headed out.

I ran into Alfred first though. "I'm going out for a bit, Al, don't worry about it. I'll be back in an hour or so," I told him.

"Alright," he said with a wink. "Just be careful."

"Will do," I said as I headed out the door into the rainy night.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I had put Benjamin to bed and decided that I couldn't just sit here in this house for another night. I had taken to training and trying to understand this boy, see how useful he would really be for the past week.

We were definitely making progress. The boy definitely had a skill with a knife which I liked. It wouldn't be too long now before Batman and the rest of Gotham got a good look at my new partner in crime and what all he could do. I laughed as I thought of the media reaction to the idea of a three-year-old murdering people and burning the city down.

I didn't care that it was raining. A little water never hurt anybody, so I headed out into the downpour to wander around Gotham and maybe pick out a location for our first criminal act as a "father and son" duo. _Too bad there's no Mel, then it'd be a family crime business…HAHAHAHAHAHA_

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My feet carried me through downtown Gotham, taking me to no place in particular. Rather I enjoyed walking the deserted streets in the rain, allowing my mind to wander as freely as I was walking. Before long, I was becoming unaware of my surroundings as I drifted into my own world and whistled my own tune.

Suddenly, I collided with something rather solid which jolted me from my alternate reality. I managed to keep from falling down. I glanced at what I had walked into, realizing that it was a man. He was standing with his head bent down to keep the rain off his face as he appeared to survey the building in front of him.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going," I explained.

At first the man didn't say anything or move. I wondered if he was even aware that I had walked into him. _Please don't tell me he's dead because I'll freak then,_ I thought. But to my relief, the man turned to face me.

I gasped when I saw his face…the white paint, black eyes, and red smile…

"Hiii," The Joker greeted me awkwardly.


	32. Chapter 32

**AN: Hey guys! This is just a quick update...really short chapter actually. Really sorry! But I'm being affected my some serious writer's block and so this chapter is probably not that great...just bear with me though! I promise it'll pick up again :)**

"You look nervous," he said, "I hope it's not the scars."

I shook my head, but took a step backwards anyways. "What are you doing here?" I asked.

"What are you doing out on this rainy night by yourself, hmm? Don't you know it's dangerous for a pretty thing like you?" he asked with a grin.

"I can take care of myself," I said defiantly.

"Oh, yeah, maybe. But I bet Batsy wouldn't like that idea…"

"Are you here for some particular reason?"

"What? A guy can't take a stroll around the city at night if he wants?"

"Most people don't go strolling in a downpour, you know?"

"Like you're one to talk," he replied, rolling his eyes.

Then he pulled out his knife and began twirling it between his fingers. I watched him carefully, unsure if I could trust him or not. I wasn't even certain if I could just walk away…something kept me frozen in place next to The Joker though.

"What afraid I might cut you or something if you try to walk away?" he asked, eyeing me with an amused expression upon his face.

"No," I replied, sounding more confident than I felt. Just to prove my point, I turned my back on him and began walking back the way I had come.

The Joker reached out and grabbed my arm roughly. He spun me back around to face him. "You know, I'm a changed man," he grinned.

"Yeah right," I spat, "Just when are you going to release your newest 'experiment' on Gotham, huh?"

The Joker laughed his signature laugh. "Well, I'm not _really_ a changed man in that way. But I wouldn't hurt you anymore, you know."

"That's what you say, but I don't believe it. You have this way of causing people pain without even realizing it."

"Yeah, well, I'm working on that. But you know, you can't blame me for everything. You're the one who walked away from me."

"And I walked away to save myself the heartache. I couldn't live like that anymore…and I'm sorry but I just don't think I can ever go back either."

The Joker chuckled, "You'll see Mels, you'll see that when the chips are down, these civilized people will eat each other and there's absolutely nothing ol' Batsy will be able to do to stop it. This city is mine and I'm gonna watch it burn."

"Well, that's nice, Joker, but really I'd rather not be a part of your madness," I said, jerking my arm from his grasp.

As I began to walk away, he called, "Mel?"

Something made me stop and turn back to him. Maybe it was the way he said it, but he seemed gentle…almost like a wounded puppy or something. "Yeah?" I said.

"I know you may never come back to me. I know I really screwed it up and there's really no way I can fix it because I really can't change who I am anymore. But can I ask you for one small favor?"

"Sure, what is it?" I asked, unable to say 'no' to him as my heart broke at his words.

"Do you think you could go to Arkham and talk to The Riddler, try to find out some information about Benj or even The Riddler's relationship with my sister?"

"Why can't you do it?"

"Oh, believe me, I tried," he grumbled. "But ya see, he talks in riddles and circles and won't give you a straight answer. I was about ready to carve his face," he said, licking his lips as he continued to play with the knife.

"Oh," I replied, in understanding.

"So will you?"

"I won't make any promises, but I won't straight up tell you no either. I'll think about it."

"I suppose that will have to do. Thank you, Mels. Night," he said with a half smile before turning and disappearing into the downpour.

_Melanie! What are you thinking? You can't go doing favors for The Joker…what is Bruce gonna say? Bruce doesn't have to know. If I decide to do this, I won't tell him…_


	33. Chapter 33

**AN: Alright, so I think the writer's block is over! Yay!!! Thanks for the reviews from last chapter, and I hope you guys enjoy this one. I'll do my best to get another update out sometime this weekend. Oh, and I promise, things are definitely gonna get interesting shortly, hehe. Anyways, I'll shut up so you can read...**

I reached Wayne Manor and entered cautiously. I wasn't greeted by anyone, so I headed straight up the stairs to my room, to change to dry clothes and go to bed. I met Alfred in the hallway to my room. "Bruce back?" I asked nervously.

"Not yet, you're safe," he smiled.

"Thanks," I said.

Alfred nodded. "I'll assume you're going to bed then?"

"Yeah, best be safe than sorry, right?"

"Your secret is safe with me," he said with a wink before disappearing down the hallway.

I entered my room and closed the door. I found my favorite pajama's waiting for me on the edge of my bed, nice and warm. _Thanks Alfred,_ I thought with a grin as I put on the warm clothes.

I then crawled under the covers. I momentarily pondered The Joker's request. I quickly pushed such thoughts from my mind, telling myself I would make a decision in the morning. I then fell into a surprisingly peaceful sleep.

The next morning I made my way downstairs. Somehow I still had a bit of a nervous feeling in my stomach about if Bruce found out about my rainy encounter with The Joker.

When I entered the kitchen, I found that it was deserted. I grabbed a bowl and poured some cereal, sitting down at the table to eat it with the sunshine to keep me company. That's when I noticed a note left for me:

_My dearest Melanie,_

_I have left you my credit card and I ask that you take it and use it to buy yourself a stunning dress for tonight. Don't worry about the cost, you get whatever you like. I'd tell you to make a 'girls day' of it, but unfortunately I don't think you had the time for that sort of socializing before throwing in your chips with everyone's 'favorite' criminal. _

_Nonetheless, I want you to treat yourself to anything you want to day. I'm only requesting you buy yourself something for tonight. I must then request that you meet me, dressed in whatever lovely outfit you find, at that restaurant that you loved…you know, the one I took you to after we went to the ballet. I'll need you to meet me there at 7:00 p.m., just go on inside and they'll be sure to point you in the right direction._

_Have a wonderful day, sweetheart…looks like it should be a lovely day. Can't wait to see you tonight. _

_Much love,_

_Bruce_

I smiled, but couldn't help but wonder what he could possibly mean by this letter and this dinner he had planned. I quickly finished my cereal and rushed upstairs to put on some clothes. Then I raced back downstairs, grabbing Bruce's card off the table, and heading out the door. _This was going to be a fun day,_ I thought, wishing that some of my girlfriends from Boston were here with me.

I spent the morning trying on hundreds of fancy dresses at that store I had been window-shopping at the first time I met The Joker, and then Bruce too actually. Finally, I found the perfect dress. It was a pale green strapless silk dress that fit tightly in the top but flowed loosely from the waist down. I found some cute heels that matched perfectly to the dress.

By then, I found that I was hungry, so I decided to break for lunch. As I ate, my mind began to wander, but this time not to what tonight might hold, but instead to my conversation with The Joker last night. I needed to decide, and very quickly, on if I was going to fulfill his request or not. A part of me wanted to because I was curious about The Riddler in a way. But at the same time the other part of me told me that it was a bad idea to go getting involved with another criminal and helping The Joker.

By the time I had finished eating, I had come to my decision. I didn't care if it was wrong or not, I was going to help that tortured soul one last time. And I knew exactly whom I would ask for help.

Before I went to pursue that task though, I decided to finish up with my 'girls day' as Bruce had called it. I went and got a French manicure done. I also got my hair done. I had the girl there curl my extremely straight brown hair and then put some up, leaving some down to cascade my shoulders with the bouncy curls. Satisfied with my shopping and preparation, I decided to head over to my father's.

When I reached there, I found Bruce coming out of the house as I was walking toward it. He smiled at me, "What are you doing here?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing. I just decided to pay my dad a visit is all," I explained.

"Same here, but he's all yours now. I'll see you later tonight," he said, planting a quick kiss on my cheek before taking off.

I stood watching him leave, momentarily puzzled. I shrugged it off though, figuring I'd find out what was going on soon enough. I marched up the sidewalk and rang the doorbell.

My dad opened the door and smiled, looking slightly puzzled.

"Hey, Dad," I said as he shifted allowing me to enter.

"Hey, Mel, didn't expect to see you," he said, giving me a hug.

"Well, I just thought I'd drop by and all. What was Bruce doing here?" I asked.

"Oh, he just came by to make sure everything was ok with me and all. Making sure I hadn't had any threats from The Joker or anything after I refused to help him and all," Dad explained.

"Oh, that's cool…"

"Don't worry, The Joker hasn't bothered me anymore. Which is kind of unexpected actually…"

"You know, speaking of strange things. I was wondering if you would take me to Arkham like tomorrow maybe."

"For what?" my dad asked, confused.

"I want to talk to The Riddler," I said.

"Oh no. No, I will not take you up there to go have a conversation with another psychopath. One is quite enough for you to have fallen in love with."

"I'm not gonna fall in love with him! I need to talk to him about something, that's it, I swear."

"What could you possibly need to discuss with him?"

"Well, it's not so much that I need to know. I'm doing it for a friend," I said, forcing a smile.

My dad remained silent a moment. Then he realized what I had meant, "You're still in contact with him, aren't you?"

"No, not exactly. I just kinda ran into him randomly and he asked me to do him a favor. I figured I might as well, one last thing you know."

"Oh sure, and one thing leads to another and then another."

"No, Dad, I swear it doesn't. I'm happy with Bruce. He actually convinced me to enroll in school starting in the spring, so I'm giving up the life of crime. I just feel like I owe it to him to do this."

"You don't owe The Joker anything. He's the one that owes you something if anybody owes the other anything."

"Dad, please. I came to you because I didn't really think you'd refuse to help your own daughter. I swear that I won't fall in love with The Riddler and I swear this is the last thing I will ever do to help The Joker."

"Fine, I'll help you, but just this once. I'll take you there tomorrow morning, but it will be as if you're only coming with me because you're interested in that line of work as a potential career choice for when you start school, understand?"

"That's fine. Thanks, Dad, I love you," I said, jumping up and giving him a huge hug.

"I love you too," he sighed, hugging me back.

I spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the time with my father. We talked about all sorts of things, and he told me what Mom was up to. Apparently they had talked not too long ago and she was doing great, had a new boyfriend and everything. _Well isn't that just peachy_, I had thought rolling my eyes.

Before I knew it, it was time to get ready for my dinner date. I went to my old bedroom and changed into my new dress and shoes. I went to the bathroom and put on some makeup and made sure my hair still looked good. It was fine, but I added a couple of cute pale purple flower hair clips. Then I added the matching birthstone earrings and necklace my dad had gotten me after my first stay with The Joker.

I walked out and my dad smiled. "You look lovely, honey," he said, kissing my cheek.

"Thanks, Dad."

"One question though."

"Alright, shoot."

"Exactly how serious are you and Bruce?"

"I'm not entirely certain. He's a really nice guy and I like him a lot, and he definitely seems to care a lot about me. But I guess I'll find out more tonight," I said with a shrug.

"Alright. Well, I think he's good for you, Melanie. If your father's opinion counts for anything, that is."

"It does and I agree. At least he's not a mass murderer who likes to watch things explode, right?" I grinned.

"Right," Dad agreed. "Have fun tonight," he told me as he walked me to the door. I smiled back at him before I was headed to the restaurant.

I got to the restaurant at precisely 7:00 which I was pretty proud of. I walked inside, giving the hostess Bruce's name. She smiled at me and had one of the waiters to show me to a back private room. Granted, you could still see the rest of the restaurant from there, but it was more like one of those rooms for a huge group of people, except this was set strictly for only two.

I looked around at the lovely decorations, spotting the white roses at my seat. However, I didn't see Bruce anywhere. I sat down, figuring I must have beat him here or he had gone to the restroom or something.

Suddenly, music began to play. A song that I recognized…it was "I'll Be" by Edwin McCain. I could hear a male voice singing along, and I turned around to spot Bruce walking from the shadows looking handsome in one of his fancier suits, singing the song to me.

I did my best to keep a straight face, but I couldn't keep from smiling. I did manage to not laugh though. He walked over to me and pulled me from my seat as we began to dance to the song. He continued to sing along and I soon joined in, "I'll be your cryin' shoulder, I'll be love's suicide, And I'll be better when I'm older, I'll be the greatest fan of your life."

When the song ended, Bruce pulled me in close for a hug and a long, passionate kiss. I kissed him back with just as much intensity. When we broke away, he led me over to my seat. "You look stunning, by the way," he said.

"You don't look half bad yourself," I commented.

He chuckled as he got me to take a seat. He then walked around to the other side of the table and sat down across from me.

"So what is this all about?" I asked.

"You mean you don't know?" he questioned, suspiciously.

"I have a couple theories," I admitted.

"I already ordered our food. I remembered what was your favorite dish," he said, avoiding my questioning.

"So you're not going to tell me?"

"Not yet," he smiled.

At that moment, our dinner arrived so I dropped the subject. Instead we ate, talked, and laughed. Finally when we were done, Bruce said, "You do realize that I really meant those words when I was singing, right?"

I swallowed my drink. "Yes," I said, nervously.

"And you know that I care a lot about you, that I'm prepared to look after you for the rest of your life," Bruce said, standing up and coming over to my side of the table.

"Yes," I said, my hands beginning to sweat. _This was it,_ I thought, _the moment it all comes down to._

Bruce reached my side of the table and dropped to one knee. "Then this shouldn't come as much surprise," he smiled, taking my hands in his. "Will you marry me, Melanie?"


	34. Chapter 34

**AN: Alright, sorry guys for taking a bit longer than I had planned to get this chapter up. And at a suggestion of a good friend (thanks so much by the way for the assistance), I'm ending the chapter where it is right now and the next chapter will include the much more intense scenes within Arkham. Ok, on with the story...**

My heart skipped a beat as Bruce asked, "Will you marry me, Melanie?" I knew I should've expected that to be his question, but somehow I still was taken by surprise. I was speechless. I just sat there staring into his dark eyes unable to form coherent thoughts or form words.

He waited patiently. He didn't seem to worry though. He just watched me, maybe attempting to read my mind or maybe just watching in concern that I would regain the ability to speak. Finally, I was able to swallow the glob in my throat and squeak out some words.

At first they were highly incoherent though as Bruce cocked his head to the side, eyeing me in puzzlement. "Are you ok?" he asked. "Because, if that remark made sense to you, you're the only one."

"Yeah, I'm fine," I breathed. "Promise."

"Alright," he said, seeming convinced. "So what's your answer?"

"Ye—" I began, but couldn't finish. My heart was screaming yes at the top of its lungs, and yet an image of The Joker flashed across my mind. I wanted to shake my head to rid my mind of such a thought, but I felt that would be interpreted the wrong way so I refrained. I closed my eyes instead and bit my lip.

"You know, I don't have an answer," I sighed, opening my eyes to see Bruce's reaction. Somehow I couldn't say the one little word that I so desperately wanted, even needed, to say.

Bruce's face fell slightly, but he attempted to hide it from me. "There's someone else, isn't there?"

My eyes welled up with tears at seeing the pain in his deep brown eyes. He thought it was hidden, but I could see it plain as day. I hated myself for being the cause of his suffering. "No, there's not someone else, I swear. I just think I need a little time to think about it. I mean I know we've been through a lot and all, but this is still a lot for me to take in at my age," I attempted to rationalize the situation.

"I suppose," Bruce replied in monotone. "I guess I just thought it was a simple solution."

"I do love you, Bruce. You have to know that. You've got to be the sweetest guy I've ever met, let alone dated. I swear, my heart is screaming 'yes' and somehow I can't get that word out right now," I said as the tears began to trickle down my cheek.

He gently reached his hand up and wiped them away. "So your answer really is yes, even if you can't get it out, right?"

I nodded because I seemed unable to speak once more. I didn't want my voice to crack and I knew it would with the silent tears caressing my face.

"Well then, I see no reason for you not to wear this," Bruce said, reaching his right hand into his jacket pocket and pulling out a tiny box. He opened the box to revel a lovely heart shaped diamond ring. He gently took the ring out of the box and slipped it onto my left ring finger.

I smiled at him through my tears and he retuned the smile. Then he pulled me into a tight hug. "I love you, Bruce," I whispered in his ear.

"I love you too, Melanie," he said, kissing my forehead.

We left the restaurant and took the long way home through the moonlit park. We were holding hands and I leaned on his shoulder. I loved how while I was unable to actually verbalize my 'yes,' he knew that I was agreeing to marry him. Maybe one day in the near future I would be able to actually say yes to him, make it more official. _Maybe after we take care of that little favor tomorrow,_ I thought.

"You know, we don't have to discuss the wedding details or announce the engagement or anything until you're ready. I know you want to be able to actually say the magic word, so I can wait for that," he said, interrupting my thoughts.

I planted a kiss on his cheek. "I absolutely love how you know me that well in such a short amount of time. What did I do to deserve you?" I shivered at the chill in the air.

"Funny you should ask that because I ask myself the same thing all the time," he smiled as he took off his suit jacket and placed it around my shoulders. Then he wrapped his arm around me to keep me close to his warm chest for the rest of the walk home.

When we reached Wayne Manor, I wished Bruce good night and sweet dreams after thanking him for such a lovely night. He planted a passionate kiss upon my lips before leaving me at my bedroom.

I went inside and changed into my pajamas and went to bed. I fell asleep nearly as soon as my head hit the pillow, with a soft smile on my face.

_We were in the garden part of the Gotham City Park on a lovely spring day. All the flowers were in full bloom and most of the trees were still covered in flower petals with the leaves just beginning to appear. _

_There was a huge crowd of people there, and my father was standing next to me. The piano began to play which was our cue to begin moving. My stomach was full of butterflies as I wrapped my arm around my father's and we began our walk down the aisle. _

_All the heads turned to watch us, but my eyes were only seeking to find the man waiting for me at the alter. My breath hitched as I laid my eyes upon Bruce for the first time that day. He smiled widely and I could feel his love radiate from him. I smiled in return as the butterflies seemed to fly away. _

_We reached the alter and my dad released me, passing me on to Bruce. "Take good care of her, alright?" he said, looking at Bruce. Bruce nodded as he took my hand, turning us both to face the preacher. _

_We exchanged our vows, sharing "I do." Finally, Bruce had been told he could kiss the bride. As our lips met, I melted under his touch, completely forgetting the world around me. _

_Suddenly though, as Bruce began to pull away, I heard a loud gunshot. I broke away from Bruce and turned to the sound of the shot. I saw a man in a purple suit moving to the center of the aisle. "Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen! We're today's entertainment! I only have one question, where is Melanie Staples?" The Joker cackled._

I awoke with a start. I was hyperventilating and attempting to restrain a scream. _It was just a dream. Nothing more than a dream. And it won't come true, it just won't,_ I thought, trying to calm myself.

The only problem was every time I closed my eyes, images of that dream flowed into my mind, real as day. Something just seemed so haunting about that dream, like maybe it was one of those that would come true and that freaked me out. I mean, Bruce and I hadn't set a date for the wedding, but still…it just seemed so real that I couldn't stop shivering.

I got out of my bed. I was not about to be a sissy and run to Bruce for comfort, but I wasn't going to sit here in the dark bedroom haunted by the nightmare. I went downstairs and got a glass of water. Then I went to sit in the den to read a book.

When I entered the den, I found the lamp on already. I peered in, seeing Alfred sitting in the armchair. _At least I don't have to explain to Bruce what I'm doing up at this hour,_ I thought as I entered the room, taking a seat on the sofa.

"Something troubling you, Miss?" Alfred asked as he glanced up at me.

"Just a bad dream," I replied.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I had a dream about the wedding and The Joker pretty much crashed it, looking for me. I don't really know more than that because I woke up before he noticed me or anything like that," I said as I began to cry at the thought of what would've happened next.

"It was a simple dream, not to worry, Miss. Dreams are just a way for us to express our fears when we shove them from our conscious thoughts. But you know that Master Bruce would never let anything happen to you," Alfred reassured me.

"Yeah, maybe you're right."

"You've been through a lot in the last few years, Melanie. No one would argue that nor would anyone expect you to not have such nightmares," he smiled gently with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Hopefully after tomorrow these worries will end," I said under my breath.

Alfred smiled knowingly, but didn't ask questions. He stood up and exited the room, bidding me a good night. I was too tired to read, so I rolled over to face the back of the couch and drifted to sleep.

In the morning my eyes fluttered open to see Bruce watching me. "Why are you sleeping on the couch?" he asked.

"I had a bad dream, so I came down here and ended up falling asleep again," I said.

"You could've come to me, you know," he said gently. "I'm here for you and I'm pretty sure you know that."

"I know, but I'm not a baby. It was just a dream anyways, not that big of a deal," I said, trying to shrug it off.

"I suppose," he agreed, watching me carefully.

I looked around, realizing how much sunlight was streaming through the windows. "What time is it?" I asked.

"About ten, why?" Bruce replied.

"Oh shit!" I said, jumping off the sofa. I made a break for the stairs, but Bruce caught me by the wrist as I hit the first stair.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Nothing, well, I mean not nothing, but I'm supposed to meet my dad like well, now, and I'm err….spending the day with him," I said in a rush. I didn't tell him what I was doing with my dad because I didn't think Bruce would be so accepting of the idea.

"Oh," he said, letting go of my wrist.

I raced up the stairs and into my room, changing clothes so fast. Then I raced back downstairs and flung the door open to find my father standing on the porch. "Hi, Dad," I said.

"Hi, Melanie. Ready to go?"

"Yeah," I said. Turning over my shoulder I yelled, "Bye, Bruce! See you later, love you!"

In the distance, I heard him yell back, "Have fun! Love you too!"

Then I left with my father. As we made our way up the front walk to Dad's car, Dad asked, "He doesn't know where we're going, does he?"

"No, he doesn't. I didn't think he'd really like the idea so I just told him I'm spending the day with you."

"Well, I don't really like the idea myself," my dad muttered under his breath as we climbed into the car.


	35. Chapter 35

**AN: Alright guys, a moment you've been waiting for! And I worked really hard on it so I could give you guys a long chapter. I was actually going to keep going, but I figured that you didn't really want me to do like a 10 page chapter, so I stopped. Oh, and the riddles used by The Riddler are actually ones he used either in the comics or in the tv shows...I found them on the internet because I'm no good at coming up with riddles and stuff like that. Alright, without any further blabbering from me, other than to ask you to please review (it would totally make my day)! Enjoy...**

When we arrived at Arkham Asylum, we were greeted by a formidable building. While it was rundown, it still gave off an air of mystery, forcing fear to creep upon anyone unfortunate enough to stare up at it for too long. I shivered despite the fairly warm air. The place gave me the creeps, but honestly seemed fitting for its purpose. It looked like a place where all hope and sanity was lost.

I stayed close to my father's side as we made our way into the building. As we entered, I got a sinking feeling and began to wonder why I had asked to come. This didn't seem like such a good idea anymore. And yet, I kept silent and we continued to move further into the building.

We moved quietly through the corridors, our footsteps echoing on the tile floor and reverberating off the crème colored concrete walls. We turned down a hallway labeled "Criminally Insane – Extremely Dangerous Inmates, Use Caution." I gulped as the sickening feeling continued to grow in the pit of my stomach. My father grimaced as he pushed the door open.

As we made our way to The Riddler's cell, I couldn't help but notice some of the other names on the doors. I saw Poison Ivy and she noticed me, glaring daggers at me since I was more or less responsible for her getting captured by Batman. I flashed a brave smile at her, just to get under her skin.

Further down, we passed a cell labeled "Scarecrow." The man within the cell looked fairly normal, but if he resided in this ward, he clearly wasn't. I gave my dad a questioning look. He shook his head in response as we moved on.

Finally, we reached the end of the filled cells. The Riddler's was located on the right. I glanced to my left first though and noticed "The Joker" stenciled upon the cell door across from The Riddler. I shivered once again and quickly looked away from that door. I followed my dad into The Riddler's cell, thankful that my dad would be in there with me.

As my father stepped aside to allow me not only access into the room but also a good look at the man known as The Riddler, I drew in a sharp breath. It was so not what I had been expecting. The man was older than I had expected, probably in his early to mid-forties. He had brown hair that was rather untidy, probably because of his living conditions. His deep brown eyes had a hopelessness to them and yet he seemed like he could take control of a room with his mysterious presence and suave gait.

However, what took me by surprise more than his appearance was the drawings on the walls. The walls were covered in question marks. They were drawn in pencil, but some were shaded, others weren't and they were all different sizes. I couldn't help but stare at them in wonder, but as I stared harder, I realized there were words in them. My jaw dropped as I realized that the words formed riddles which formed question marks. _Like that's not mentally insane and kinda creepy,_ I thought.

"Why, 'ello there," The Riddler spoke. Then he forced a smile, showing he wasn't too sure about this situation but would try to make the best of it, maybe even a shot at the upper hand in the conversation.

"Hello," I said stepping forward, praying that I sounded braver than I felt. My dad remained close at my side but allowed me to take the lead in the interview.

"And who might you be?" he asked, not really sounding like he cared. His voice sounded like he had given up on life, like he was so wrapped up in his own little world that he was letting reality just pass him by. It was sort of heartbreaking actually.

"My name is Melanie. I have some questions for you if that's alright," I said.

He just looked at me, half curious and half indifferent. I decided I would take that as a "yes."

"Let's start with who you are. I mean, I know your name is really Edward Nygma and that you go by The Riddler, but who are you…like how did you get here?"

"I was just a man who was ahead of my time and condemned for it, so I took to reveling in my hobby and showing them that my ideas were possible."

_Ok, so that didn't make a lot of sense. Let's try another one._ "What do you mean by that?"

"My ideas were seem as too wild, too rash, but they're not. I lost my job because of it…because I was to be condemned as insane and locked up here for being innovative," he spat, clearly not too happy about it.

"Did you know a Cynthia Napier?" I asked, figuring I'd start cutting to the chase.

"Why is a woman in love like a welder?"

"Huh? I don't know," I said, completely confused.

"They both carry a torch."

"So did you know Cynthia?" I asked again.

He just grinned. _Guess I'll take that kind of a riddle as a yes…and that she must've been in love with him._

"So did you marry her?"

"No," he said simply.

"Why not?"

"What are the chilliest twelve inches in the world?"

"Do we really have to do this in riddles?"

"Cold feet!" he laughed at his own joke while I shot a "wtf?" look at my dad. Dad shrugged at me.

"But you had a child with her, didn't you?" I pressed.

"That's what I've been told."

"Ok, well, I'm pretty sure you did. Have you ever met your son? Do you know anything about him?"

"Does it look like I would've ever met him?" The Riddler asked, becoming slightly agitated.

"Err…"

"No I never met him! If I would've met him then I doubt I would've let him out of my sight. Nor would I be _here_."

"Ok, ok, I just wondered," I said, putting my hands up in surrender.

"I won't answer another question until you answer one for me," he said with a suspicious grin.

"Alright," I agreed. My dad nodded his agreement.

"What is it that travels on all fours in the morning, on two legs at noon, and three at twilight?"

I shook my head, having no idea at all. I was never very good at riddles.

A silence overtook the room as he gave us time to think. I still had nothing, but suddenly my dad whispered, "Man."

The Riddler grinned widely. "Very good, Dr. Staples. Let's try one more, shall we?"

"Wait, you said we had to answer one and then you'd answer our questions," I interrupted.

The Riddler glared at me. "Well, maybe I changed my mind. Now you have to answer another riddle before I go answering your personal, prying questions." Turning back to my father, he said, "What is at the beginning of eternity, the end of time and space, the beginning of every end and the end of every race?"

My dad stood there a moment, thinking over the question. I could tell he was deep in thought because he kept repeating the riddle under his breath. Finally, his eyes glinted slightly indicating he had come up with something. "The letter E," he said with a self-satisfied smile as The Riddler looked at him with an expression that mixed awe and surprise.

"It appears that I have met a worthy equal," he said with a grin. "So what questions do you have for me?"

"Oh good," I said, "Do you know anything at all about Benjamin?"

Edward turned to me, "I didn't ask you for your questions. I asked _him_. He's clearly the only one worthy for me to talk to since he can figure out the riddles and you can't."

My dad put his arm around me, "She's my daughter. We're just here to do a bit of research if you will. Any information you could give us would be greatly appreciated."

The Riddler cleared his throat, "Well, since you asked politely…"

We waited patiently (or Dad was more patient than me) for him to collect his thoughts. When he spoke his voice seemed to come from far away and his eyes were focused on some unseen place or person in a past time.

"As I said, I was fired from my job because they felt my inventions were too dangerous and too rash for today. The irony is that I'm not the real danger this city faces and neither were my inventions. I lost everything so I began to turn to a slight life of crime, leaving riddles behind so they would know who was messing with them. One day I met a young girl. She was fairly pretty, but she had been hardened by the darker side of the city."

"Bu—" I began.

"Go on," my dad said gently, cutting me off with a sharp look.

"I pitied the girl and so I got to know her. The more I learned about her and her past, losing her parents and having to send her brother to Arkham for help, I began to pity her. I also began to fall in love with her. And she seemed to like me.

"Before long we were inseparable. We couldn't stay away from each other and we couldn't deny the growing attraction between us. There were many times that she spent the night at my little rundown flat just because I didn't want her out in the streets with her druggie friends."

"What happened though?" Dad asked to keep him talking when he fell silent.

He had clearly slipped into another time and place because his voice sounded broken and even more distant. And he wasn't talking to us anymore. "I'm sorry. I never meant for this to happen, for our actions to get so out of hand. I can't deny my love for you though, even if that's what you'd like me to do. I just can't because it would be a horrible lie…and I just can't live that because I love you with every fiber of my being.

"No, please don't go. If you leave, then I'm nothing. I can't live without you. I swear, I can get a job and a better place to live. We'll get married and be a happy little family."

My father stepped forward as Edward got on his knees as if he were begging for Cynthia to stay with him. Tears began to pour down his face and he screamed out, "NOOO!!!" My dad bent down and put a gentle hand on his shoulder to try to pull him from his memories.

It worked because soon Edward's eyes came back into focus on us. Tears still stained his face as he said in a ragged whisper, "She left. I never saw her again. I tried to find her, to get her back, but I ended up here and she ended up dead. I couldn't protect her. And until a few weeks ago, I had no idea that she had the kid, that I had a son."

"It's ok. Nobody blames you," my dad reassured this broken man. I couldn't help but pity him. It was interesting to me though how similar The Riddler seemed to be to The Joker…and how horrid both their lives had become. Of course, The Joker's was still much worse. And yet, in seeing Edward Nygma and hearing how he had his entire life taken from him twice, I could see how easily someone could slip into madness and become a new identity as he had done. _Looks like The Joker is right…all madness really needs is a little push…_

My father skillfully concluded the interview and we left. As my dad closed the door to The Riddler's cell behind us, I shivered, as the door slam seemed to reaffirm The Riddler's remark about being condemned, never to leave this place.

Walking into the warming daylight should have been a calming relief. In one way it was because I would never have to step foot in that place again. But in another way, it wasn't a relief because I pitied those lost souls trapped within who would probably never feel the warmth upon their cheeks again.

As we got into the car, my dad looked at me and asked, "Are you alright?"

I nodded, "Yeah, I'm good."

"Mel, don't lie to me. You look incredibly pale, like you saw a ghost."

"It's such a horrible place," I said.

My dad waited patiently as we drove away for me to continue talking.

"I mean I don't see how you wouldn't go mad living in a place like that. It's awful. Why doesn't somebody clean that up? Get those people real help instead of letting them just rot away in their cells?"

"I don't know, Mel. I agree with you though. It is a horrific place to be."

"You know something. This whole city is corrupt! The politicians promising to clean up the streets but they can't because the mob is too strong or controls them. They lock people up in Arkham as insane and dangerous but don't bother to get them any help. Then the citizens are ready to condemn and lock up the one man attempting to fix this city. It's just not right, it's not fair!" I cried in exasperation.

My dad rubbed his hand gently on my shoulder in comfort. "I agree, Melanie. But until more of the people in this city see that and care to have it change, nothing will ever get better. Do you want me to drive you back to Wayne Manor?"

"No."

"Then where?"

"Just get me out of the ultra-dangerous side of town and then I'll walk. Maybe that will clear my head."

"Alright," my dad agreed. He probably would've argued but he saw the hurt and anger in my eyes. He could tell I needed to walk too.

He stopped the car when we got to where he felt it was safe to drop me off. Well enough away from the Narrows but a fair distance from downtown so I could have a long walk. "Be careful, Mel. I love you," my dad said, giving me a tight hug and quick kiss.

"Love you too, Dad. And thanks," I said. He nodded as I got out and began walking and he drove away.

I was walking, not really thinking about anything in particular. Just trying to focus on anything but those images of Arkham that I was certain would haunt my nights forever. Hell, they'd probably haunt my days too.

Suddenly, I felt someone grab me. I turned to see that it was Bruce. "What are you doing out here? I thought you were spending the day with your dad."

"Oh, yeah, I got done with that already. I just needed a walk to try to clear my head," I said, moving away from him.

"Where did you guys go?" he asked.

I cast my eyes to the ground. Bruce waited for me to say something, but I didn't. I couldn't. He couldn't know. He looked around, trying to determine the most likely place I would have come from. "You went with him to Arkham, didn't you?"

"Yes," I whispered, still staring at my feet.

"Why though? Why would you even want to go there? Wait," Bruce paused. "You were there for information, weren't you?"

"Do we really have to talk about this now?" I asked.

"You're still helping him, aren't you? After all you've said about how you don't care about him anymore and how you're through with that. Hell, you even agreed to marry me, and you still feel the need to do whatever The Joker asks of you, don't you?"

"No, it's really not like that. He gave me the choice. This was a favor. And I decided that I would do it, one last time. I am going to marry you. I'm doing this to sever the final tie to him. Of course, now seeing that place and the patients within, I realize it was probably a bad idea to go there."

Bruce took me in a hug. "It's going to be ok. I trust you, so I'll let you keep walking to clear your head. Just be careful, please."

"I will," I said as I walked away from him.

The next corner I rounded though did not provide any sort of comfort. Instead, I was to be faced with the man I didn't exactly want to see right now. But there he was, waiting for me, like he knew I would be here at this time on this day. The Joker smiled widely at me, "Hello, Mels! Did ya miss me?"


	36. Chapter 36

**AN: Thanks for the reviews once again! And here's the next installment...**

I froze on the spot. I thought over my options. I could run in the opposite direction and hope Bruce hadn't disappeared yet. Of course, that would probably only piss The Joker off and he'd follow me. My only other option was to stand here and face him. I knew I'd have to see him eventually anyways, so might as well get it over with now.

"No, can't say that I have missed you. Been kinda busy actually," I smirked, holding up my left hand. I don't know why I did it, but I sort of wanted to rub it in his face that I really wasn't his anymore.

The Joker tilted his head to one side in confusion. Then he moved closer to me, and grabbed my wrist, yanking my hand toward him. He stood there, staring at the ring as if hypnotized by it or something. He licked his lips as he finally looked up into my face, "So finally getting what you want, hmm?"

"I guess," I said with a shrug like it was no big deal.

"And you couldn't wait for me?"

I laughed, "Oh, sure, because you really would've asked."

"Actually I did ask, and you never answered."

I rolled my eyes, "You were asking as a form of mockery. You weren't asking me to actually mean it."

"Out of curiosity though, what would your answer have been?"

"I don't know," I said.

"How can you not know?" he growled. "You know you just don't want to tell me."

"No, I really don't know. All I do know is that I am getting married and it's not to you. Beyond that, I don't really see any reason to have this discussion."

"You started it," he said, pointing at the ring.

"Yeah, and I'm ending it too," I said stubbornly. "Now what is it you really want?"

"Just wondered if you had any information for me," he grinned.

"Well, I went and talked to him if that's what you mean."

"Oh, you did, did you? And how did Brucie feel about that? How did you get in there? Sneaking around and all, did ya like that?" he asked eagerly, clapping his hands together in excitement.

I scoffed, "You honestly think I would break laws to do a favor for you?"

"Of course!" He laughed, "You've got that in you. You like that thrill it brings."

"Uh, well, sorry to disappoint but I didn't do anything sneaking about to get your information."

"How did you do it then?"

"I have connections you know," I said slyly.

"Ah, of course, charmed ol' daddy, didn't you?"

"Look, does it really matter how I did it? Do you want to know what I found out or not?"

"Fine, tell me. I'm sure Brucie is worried where you've disappeared to anyways," he winked.

"Actually, didn't find out much. Apparently, your sister left him when she found out she was pregnant because he didn't have a job and stuff. Shortly after she walked out, he ended up in Arkham, so he didn't know until you showed up that she even had the kid."

"Ok. But what's with his riddle thing?"

"I don't know. He talked in riddles half the time and got annoyed when I couldn't answer them. All he did say was that it was a pastime of his that he embraced upon being fired from his job."

"Fascinating. That all you got?"

"Pretty much. That's the translated, summary version," I grinned.

"Well, Mels I do appreciate ya helping me out. Knew I'd always count on you." Then he inched so close that I could feel his hot breath upon my face, "Oh, and you still belong to me."

"Really? Because I'm pretty sure I don't."

He pulled out his knife and opened the blade, "Would you like me to give you a little reminder?"

I backed away, "No, I think I'm good."

He cackled, "Good choice. But you'll see, Mels, that you do belong to me. I'm a man of my word." Then he turned down a side alley and disappeared before I could even respond.

As soon as he was gone, I took off running in the opposite direction. My fears and worries about Arkham and The Riddler gone, replaced by a new one of The Joker. I was hoping that I could make it back to Wayne Manor without running into him again.

I ran the entire way, not daring to cast a glance over my shoulder. I was actually hoping I might find Bruce again because I knew I would feel safe in his arms. I continued to run, not really paying attention to my surroundings.

I nearly collided with a young man, sending us both to the ground, but he wrapped his arms around me protectively and I clung to him for dear life. I then realized the touch was familiar, so I looked into his eyes and saw it was Bruce. I sighed in relief.

"Melanie, are you ok?" he asked his voice full of concern.

"Well, not completely. I saw him again. And…and he swears that I'm still his. Bruce, I can't have that. I can't go down that road again. So yes I will marry you and we could totally just run off, like now," I gasped.

Bruce faced turned from shock to anger to confusion in a matter of seconds as my words sunk in. "So wait, let me get this straight, you want to run off and get married now because of what he said?"

"Yea—no, I don't know!" I cried in exasperation. "Yes I want to get married and soon, preferably. But no it's not because of what he said. He just put it all into perspective for me and I know that you're the only man that truly understands and cares about me so deeply. Why would I want to throw that away?"

Bruce smiled warmly and my heart threatened to leap out of my chest. "Well, I'm glad to know you only want me," he teased. "Glad the competition is gone, not that it was much competition."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, ok. I also had this horrid dream about our wedding." I shuttered at the thought of The Joker yelling out for me.

Bruce hugged me tightly, "You know I would never let anything bad happen. Hell, I'll be sure to get him locked up before our wedding so there's not even a chance of him crashing it."

I nodded slowly, "Thanks, Bruce, you're the best."

"I try," he said. Then he leaned over and kissed me passionately on the lips as the busy streets of Gotham seemed to disappear.


	37. Chapter 37

**AN: Ok, so here's the next chapter. I'm sad to say that the next chapter will be the last one for this story. I'm just running out of ideas of what to do in it, plus I think nearly 40 chapters is enough, lol. Anyway, it's not over quite yet, but I just want you all to have a heads-up! Ok, on to the story....**

Bruce walked me home with one armed wrapped protectively around me. He teased me, making me laugh, the entire way back, probably trying to get my mind off the horrors of the day.

When we returned to Wayne Manor, he ordered me to take a nice hot shower to clear my head. While I did that, he fixed a beautiful lunch for the two of us. I came downstairs with my wet hair pulled back in a tight ponytail to find him awaiting my arrival at the table.

"Wow," I said as I sat down looking at the lunch that was spread across the table. "You did all this?"

"Yeah," he grinned. "Impressed?"

"Maybe just a little," I smiled, helping myself to the salad.

We ate mostly in quiet, but it was nice. I couldn't help but wonder how I had deserved to find such a sweet guy. But I was thrilled that I had him and that he cared about me so much.

Finally, attempting to break the silence, Bruce asked, "What are you thinking about?"

"You," I answered truthfully.

His eyes widened briefly in surprise, but then he smiled, "Glad that I'm the one who gets to be on your mind all the time then."

"Yeah, you're pretty special, I guess."

"So exactly what about me were you thinking?"

"Well, I think it's time that I told you that I do have an answer. And my answer is yes. Yes, I will marry you, Bruce."

His face brightened. Then he got up and walked over to me, gently taking my hand so I would be standing next to him. He gave me a huge hug and a passionate kiss. "You're positive?"

"Of course I am," I said with a nod.

"Thank you," he said.

"No, thank you, Bruce. Thank you for making me see that I could have a normal life still and that I could be loved by someone as amazing as you."

He grinned, "Well, I'm glad I could help."

-------------------------------------A FEW WEEKS LATER----------------------------------------

Bruce and I had been spending some quality time together, working on the details of the wedding and reforming the bonds with my father. The Joker hadn't disturbed us at all, and Bruce didn't go out every night either which was a rather nice change.

Of course, all good things must come to an end. Bruce got up from a later dinner and gave me a kiss. "I've got to take care of one thing tonight," he told me before heading down to the Batcave.

I nodded in understanding, but had a sinking feeling about what this "one thing" was. And I had a pretty good idea that it involved The Joker…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I was rather ashamed with myself that I hadn't been more active in terrorizing Gotham and driving its citizens to the point of insanity. And yet, somehow I just didn't really care anymore. Sure, I had been working with Benjamin and he had become quite skilled with the knife; however, I had slacked on reminding them who owned this city.

And when I turned on the news, rather than seeing my face as the headline story, it was either some mob related incident or Bruce Wayne and his coming wedding. It made me sick that these superficial people continued to make such a big deal out of their lovely eligible, playboy bachelor getting hitched. _No one gives a rat's ass about what Bruce Wayne does,_ I thought bitterly as I turned the TV off.

I sat there on the couch, glaring at the darkened TV set. Suddenly, I heard a noise from somewhere behind me. At first I thought it might just be Benjamin, but it sounded too much like a large crash to have been caused by such a little boy. I stood up and moved cautiously, drawing my knife, to the back of the house where the noise had originated.

As I moved down the darkened hallway, I was tackled to the ground by a shadowy black figure. The knife slipped from my hand and skated across the floor. _Lucky I've got more than one._ I maneuvered my hand into my pocket and withdrew another knife. I stabbed into Batman's shoulder as his fist connected with my jaw.

We both cried out in surprise. I quickly fell into a fit of laughter, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of having caused me pain. He growled in disgust as he yanked the knife out of his shoulder and threw it across the room.

"So angry," I commented.

Batman only glared at me.

"Exactly what did I do this time to piss you off? I mean I haven't been out causing mayhem in the streets ya know."

"You know exactly what I'm here about," he said in his deep gravelly voice.

"Ohhh, ok then, that clears everything up," I said sarcastically.

Batman lunged at me, but I dodged. He slammed into the wall with a loud thud and fell to the floor. I kicked the knife that was hidden in the front of my shoe out and attempted to kick him with it. He did a decent job dodging and his armor protected him pretty well, but I still got a few blows in. I cackled in triumph.

As Batman began to stand, I noticed a little blur rush out of the room behind him. I knew it was my little success story coming to my aid. I grinned in delight as he jumped onto Batman's back and proceeded to inflict as much damage as a three-and-a-half year old could.

I backed myself into the wall, for it was the only way I would remain standing, as I laughed uncontrollably as Batman attempted to wrestle a little boy off him. Finally he managed to get Benjamin off him. He set him down on the ground and tied his wrists together so he couldn't interfere again.

I stopped laughing, but I still grinned wildly at him. He still couldn't win. "And what's the big bad bat gonna do now?" I mocked.

He didn't answer; he just punched me as hard as he could in the face. A sharp crack filled the room and I screamed out in pain. I reached my hand up over my nose to take it away seconds later and it be covered with blood.

I sank to my knees in agony, realizing that he had probably just won this time. I moaned in pain as I made one last attempt to attack him. I sunk my knife into his thigh as I looked into his masked face trying to read an expression. He seemed to wince in pain and that made me satisfied. Then he kicked me with his other leg as hard as he could in the stomach sending me toppling backwards to the ground.

The Caped Crusader bent over me and tied up my wrists as well as the blood continued to run down my face. He then yanked me to my feet and picked up Benjamin. He marched me and carried Benjamin outside to the waiting cop cars. "It's back to Arkham for you, Joker," Batman growled as he passed me to Commissioner Gordon.

"Thanks for your help, Batman," Gordon said, taking Benjamin from him.

Batman nodded once. "What's to become of the boy?"

"He'll be evaluated at Arkham and probably remain there. He'll be too damaged to live a normal life," Gordon frowned.

I grinned with self-satisfaction as they put me in the back of a cop car. Batman may have taken Mel from me, but he couldn't have Benj too.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I had continued to pace around the main floor of Wayne Manor waiting for Bruce to return. I was worried that things wouldn't go quite as he had planned with The Joker because I knew as well as anyone that things were never simple with him. There was always a catch with The Joker.

Finally, I noticed the BatPod pulling into the drive. My heart skipped a beat and I sighed in relief. _At least he made it home._ I rushed to Bruce's study and down the secret passage to the Batcave.

When I stepped into the cave, Bruce was removing his armor and surveying his injuries. I stepped from the shadows, "Are you ok?"

Bruce looked up and his cold, hardened face brightened when he saw me. "I'll live."

I came over and gave him a tiny hug. "I was worried about you."

"I know, but you didn't need to be. Everything worked out."

"Let me help clean you up," I offered, seeing the deep cut on his shoulder.

He nodded. I began cleaning his injuries as he removed the rest of his armor. "Thanks," he said.

"Don't worry about it. So what exactly did you do?"

"Don't worry about it," he replied.

"That's not fair, Bruce. I'll find out eventually."

He frowned as if calculating what to say. "I suppose that's a good point. Let's just say that you don't need to worry about that nightmare coming true."


	38. Chapter 38

**AN: Here's the final chapter of "Aggressive Expansion." Thanks to those of you who stuck with the story till the end! And a special thanks to angelfishlex and Ossiana of the B.P.R.D. for reviewing EVERY SINGLE CHAPTER!! You guys rock!!! I hope you all enjoy the conclusion, and please feel free to leave a review and let me know how you liked it and the story. Thanks everyone! Enjoy...**

SIX MONTHS LATER

The past few months had been a complete whirlwind, despite not having to worry about The Joker and his lovely antics. We had to announce the engagement officially, which of course sent the media into a frenzy that "Gotham's most eligible bachelor" was actually tying the knot. Then there was the planning of the wedding.

I had tried to convince Bruce to just hop on that private jet of his and go to Vegas. He thought that was cheesy though. Plus he argued wanting to give me the "perfect" wedding because "you only get married once." I had laughed and told him that in this day and age, most people got married and divorced at least once. Except, I knew I wouldn't be divorcing him.

We argued many nights about the wedding. He wanted to give me that big wedding that every little girl fantasizes about. I insisted that's not what I wanted. Let's face it, simple was fine for me…I wasn't most girls anyways, so why did we have to be so fancy because I was marrying a billionaire? I would much rather it be just me, him, Dad, and Alfred as opposed to the entire city. I grinned as I remember that disagreement.

_"It won't be the entire city, Melanie," he insisted._

_"Oh, sure. When 'Gotham's most eligible bachelor' gets married, you can be sure there'd probably even be media coverage of the event as live proof to those who wouldn't believe the playboy Bruce Wayne would actually settle down with one woman."_

_Bruce sighed in defeat. "Well then what is it that you want?"_

My answer had been simple: "Let's just sail away together."

Naturally, that had puzzled him. So I had to explain that I didn't need the big to-do. Quite honestly, The Joker may be locked up, but I still wasn't willing to believe that my dream wouldn't come true. I mean, The Joker had escaped twice before from that horrid place.

Finally, we had agreed that we would use his boat. We would set sail in Gotham Harbor and be married just a few minutes before sunset as we sailed out of the harbor and into the open ocean. We would only invite Alfred and my dad. I had attempted to invite Mom, but she didn't really seem to want to see my father so she politely declined. We would drop them off at the next port after a light dinner. Then Bruce and I would set sail to on our honeymoon, destined for the Caribbean.

And now it was merely a few days before I was to be married to a man that had been insanely kind to me, comforted me every time I needed, protected me from one of the most notorious criminals, and had chosen to love me despite my indecisiveness. If someone would have told me upon moving to Gotham, I'd be marrying him, I would've told them they were insane…but here I was, about to become Mrs. Bruce Wayne.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I continued to remain locked up in this damn cell. Unfortunately, they decided to keep a better eye on me this time around, so there was no escaping. At least, not yet. It wasn't impossible and I had every intention of finding a way out. The trouble was that I wasn't going to leave my little accomplice behind. So to get Benjamin out as well as myself took more planning. Hell, I was even considering breaking The Riddler out too. Sure I didn't like his stupid riddles, but he could be an asset.

I may have been locked up in this retched place, but I wasn't without contact to the outside world. I had heard all about Bruce and Mel's wedding plans. With me not terrorizing the wonderful people of Gotham, Mr. Playboy and his bride-to-be were the biggest headline for the news.

I scoffed when I heard about the finalized plans. _Leave it to Melanie to have to make it overly simplistic. Hell, if I would've said yes to her begging proposal we probably would've had to just run off somewhere and elope. Actually, she probably would've rather we just go to the courthouse for the marriage license but I doubt that would've worked well…_

I still felt shoved aside to not be invited. I mean I had showed her what this city was all about after all. I'm actually partly responsible for her meeting Bruce…or maybe her being so drawn to him in the end. _Oh well, it didn't mean that someday I couldn't get her back from his grip._ I laughed at that thought and how crushed poor Brucie would be.

I wrote them a letter too, wondering why I hadn't been invited. I never got a response though. Somehow that hadn't surprised me.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The day had finally arrived. Bruce had insisted that if we had the wedding my way then we had to at least keep to the tradition of the groom not seeing the bride until she walked down the aisle on wedding day. I had agreed to that condition. I spent the night before at my dad's house. I then spent the morning getting ready and pacing the entire house out of anxiety.

Before I knew it, my dad called me to the car. It was time to go. We arrived at Gotham Harbor in plenty of time. I could make out Bruce's figure on the boat already. My heart skipped a beat as I wondered if he was as nervous as I was.

My dad helped me out of the car, and began walking me down the dock to enter the boat. I drew in my breath as I saw how beautifully the boat had been decorated. It was covered in white ribbons, lined with white roses and pale lavender lilacs. A rolled up banner had been attached to the back of the boat, and I knew what it probably said.

Once my dad and I were on board, the boat set sail, headed for the entrance/exit of the harbor. The boat drifted slowly and I did my best to remain calm, though my hands felt sweaty.

Finally the time had come. The magical wedding music had begun to play. My dad and I walked down the "aisle" to the bow of the ship where Bruce was awaiting. I smiled as naturally as I could with my stomach doing summersaults. Bruce returned the smile as his eyes danced with wonder.

When Dad and I reached him, Dad placed my hands in Bruce's. "Take good care of her," Dad whispered.

Bruce nodded, "I will." Then he turned to me and said, "You look beautiful."

I beamed, "And you're more handsome than I had ever dreamed."

Bruce turned slightly red as we turned to the preacher. We exchanged our vows, promising to love each other in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, for better or for worse, until death do us part. I placed a simple silver band upon Bruce's ring finger. He placed a matching, though much smaller, one upon my ring finger along side the heart-shaped diamond.

The preacher gave Bruce permission to kiss me. Bruce leaned in, and before allowing our lips to meet, he whispered, "I promise I will never leave you alone in this world." Then we kissed as the sun sank into the water and the world disappeared.

The banner had been dropped, reading "JUST MARRIED." The ship made it's way peacefully to the next harbor in the next city. We enjoyed Alfred and Dad's company until we reached that destination. They both wished us a safe and enjoyable trip as they stepped off the ship.

I went to bed in Bruce's arms and awoke the next morning with the same strong loving arms wrapped around me. I knew from that moment on, I would always awake to find him with me. I would never have to feel threatened again because he would always be there keeping a watchful eye over me. I smiled as I kissed him lightly, thrilled that I had found arms that I would always be safe in.

His eyes fluttered open and he smiled. "Good morning, sunshine!"

"Morning," I replied.

Suddenly, Bruce's cell phone rang. He answered, "Hello?"

I was sitting close enough that I could hear Alfred's voice, "You're not to return from your honeymoon, Master Wayne. Not when you're halfway to the Caribbean already. But I feel you should know…"

"Know what?" Bruce asked.

"The Joker has escaped from Arkham once more."

"Alone?"

"No, sir. Benjamin and The Riddler are also gone."

"Thanks, Alfred," Bruce replied.

"Yes, sir, Master Bruce. Do try to enjoy your honeymoon though."

"That shouldn't be a problem," Bruce said, shooting a smile at me. Then he disconnected the phone call with Alfred.

I gave him an uncertain look. _Would The Joker try to find us or just wait till we return? Would he go after Dad or Alfred to make us return early? Would he come after me when we got back?_

Bruce gave me a reassuring look, hug, and kiss. I knew once more that I was safe with him. He would never let The Joker win. And he would never let that murdering psychopath do me harm again. "It just never ends, Mel," he sighed.

I leaned against his shoulder. "I suppose, but at least I've got a personal protector in Batman."


End file.
